India finished 48th in the Tokyo Olympics medals table with 1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals. This total tally of seven medals marks India's best performance at the Olympics to date. The expectations for the Paris Olympics are high, with hopes of rising from the top 50 in Tokyo to potentially breaking into the top 30. However, according to medal projections by Nielsen's Gracenote Sports, a provider of statistical analysis, India is not expected to be in the top 30.
As usual, the United States is anticipated to win the most medals, although China may surpass them in terms of gold medals, according to Gracenote's predictions. The United States is projected to win 112 medals in total, comprising 39 gold, 32 silver, and 41 bronze. China is expected to secure 86 medals, including 34 gold, 27 silver, and 25 bronze.
In the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, the United States topped both the overall medal count and the gold medal tally, leaving China in second place. Gracenote bases its rankings on the total number of medals won, although some other rankings prioritize the number of gold medals earned.
The United States is projected to lead the medal count for the eighth consecutive Summer Games. The last time the US did not top the overall medal count was in 1992 in Barcelona, when the Unified Team, comprised of athletes from the dissolved Soviet Union, took the top spot. The last time the US didn't secure the highest number of gold medals was in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics..jpg)
Following the United States and China, the countries expected to perform well in both overall and gold medal counts are: Britain (63 total, 17 gold), France (60 total, 27 gold), Australia (54 total, 15 gold), Japan (47 total, 13 gold), Italy (46 total, 11 gold), Germany (35 total, 11 gold), Netherlands (34 total, 16 gold), and South Korea (26 total, 9 gold).
Rounding out the top 20 are: Canada (21 total, 7 gold), Hungary (20 total, 7 gold), Brazil (18 total, 8 gold), Spain (18 total, 5 gold), Poland (17 total, 3 gold), Denmark (14 total, 5 gold), Turkey (14 total, 4 gold), New Zealand (14 total, 4 gold), Ukraine (13 total, 2 gold), and Ethiopia (12 total, 6 gold).
France, as the host nation, is expected to see its medal count soar, potentially tripling their gold medal haul from the Tokyo Games. The medals for the Paris Olympics will be unique, featuring a small piece of the iconic Eiffel Tower embedded within them.
Hosting the Olympics often leads to increased investment in sports and the advantage of competing on home turf, boosting athletes' performances. For instance, Japan achieved a record-breaking 58 total medals, including 27 gold, when they hosted the Tokyo Olympics. However, their medal count is likely to decrease this time around.
The suspension of Russian and Belarusian participation due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is expected to have an impact. In the previous Tokyo Olympics, over 300 Russian athletes competed, but this time, their numbers may be reduced to just a handful, competing as 'Neutral Athletes' and not representing their respective countries. The IOC has mandated that any medals won by these athletes will not be included in the official medal table.
Also Read: Paris 2024 Olympics - Latest News, Schedules & Results
