The US Olympic medal table

[MrLister]

Has anyone seen this: FOX Sports on MSN - Olympics - Medals

So, it seems in the USA they're sorting the Olympics medal table by 'total medals won' rather than golds, putting the USA first!

Go Team USA, etc! Sigh...

At least if China get a few more medals they might make sure no silly Americans think they're leading the medal table.

(Note: Not that the medals matter or anything. It's more a chance to poke fun at the USA.)

[jayinhongkong]

Yeah I noticed that last week. Pretty funny! I guess they want to make the US look as good as possible, even though it's the golds that count in the end (or not, depending on how you look at it).

[Jon.E.Kong]

All the Yank networks are doing it. NBC etc.

If the judging continues the way it has China will have problem beating the US in total.

[rkhl]

Same way yahoo.com presents the medal count since game day 1, while other yahoo sites such as uk, au, japan... and everywhere else clearly shows the whole picture: US gold medal trailing China's.

Spin it anyway you want!

[hullexile]

Well if you can't use drugs to get the number one spot anymore you just have to cheat with the table. Shame really that the US has such insecurity.

[gilleshk]

It's not really cheating, simply the national sport in the US, spinning... It's only happened a few times that the team with most gold isn't the one with most medals and the other times, the US was the team that did that...

It's predicted that the US will win more medals since China won't do well at Track & Field...

To be fair, it should probably be a point system with 3,2 1 for medals or something of the kind. Anyway, I don't think too many people care outside of China and US who tops the medal count... I think it's nice to see the host nation doing so well. Call it a return on a very big investment...

Mind you, that's another debate...Should governments be spending so much money on producing elite athletes?

[Sleuth]

To be fair, it should probably be a point system with 3,2 1 for medals or something of the kind. Anyway, I don't think too many people care outside of China and US who tops the medal count... I think it's nice to see the host nation doing so well. Call it a return on a very big investment...

Mind you, that's another debate...Should governments be spending so much money on producing elite athletes?

That would be a better way to decide the "Olympic winner". Doesn't the host nation always exceed expectations? When the winter games are in the US, we seem to always win the ice hockey and when they aren't in the US we always seem to lose.
I don't think governments should spend any money on producing elite athletes. Not how I want my tax dollars spent.

[timklip]

Doesn't the host nation always exceed expectations? When the winter games are in the US, we seem to always win the ice hockey and when they aren't in the US we always seem to lose.

I wish that were true...A thankfully little known fact is that Canada (Montreal '76 and Calgary '88) is the only host country to win NO Gold medals...as we are perennial (or in this case quadrennial) underachievers at the Oly's.

BUT... I take exception to your comment about US ice hockey, since we (Canada) won Gold in Salt Lake '02 hockey (men and women)...it seems many Americans still cling desperately to the "Miracle on Ice' of Lake Placid...in reality, US has won 2 hockey golds in the 4 times it has hosted

[rebekah]

Also, consider the source... it certainly isn't the most reputable "news" agency

[hullexile]

I don't really care about the US-China battle but this new 'US' system puts the Aussies above us Brits and we get so few opportunities to gloat over them about sport that we are not going to be cheated of this one