One by one, each member of Team USA was awarded his gold medal. The International Olympic Committee folks didn’t stop dishing out the honors until 12 players had been decorated.

 

According to the official unofficial medal counts that we saw published at the close of the 2008 Olympic Games, however, the men’s basketball team apparently won a single gold medal.

 

China can count gold medals however it likes, but don’t be fooled by such bogus statistics. There were 12 players on the stand when the U.S. women’s basketball team celebrated its gold medal, nine when the U.S. rowing team won the women’s eights – gotta count the coxswain -- and a whopping 18 after the women’s soccer team defeated Brazil in their championship game. The 4X400-meter relays teams on the track: four each. Both of the Williams sisters left with a gold medal for their women’s doubles title in tennis.

 

All told, 100 American athletes were awarded 126 gold medals – 53 more than any other country could claim. China, for all the crowing about its golden superiority, actually had 64 athletes earn 73 gold medals.

 

If we’re going to have these medals tables, there ought to be some honesty in the way the numbers are computed.

 

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/11162/team_golds_not_properly_counted_at_olympics

I read this early. Another great article for DeCourcy. USA dominated team sports and he makes some very good points.

China did nothing but try and prepare for events they thought they could win, ie ping pong, trampeline? etc etc

Yes, every member of a team gets a medal if the team wins, but it still only counts as one one in the country totals. Always has been that way.

I have no problem with them counting it as 1.

 

We dominated team sports, no doubt. But nothing shady here.

Did China win the gold medal in the Cheatathon?

Yes, every member of a team gets a medal if the team wins, but it still only counts as one one in the country totals. Always has been that way.

 

That is what I thought also.

 

This was someone else's response towards that article.

 

Argentina won 31 gold medals in Athens (football and basketball), and 21 in Beijing (football and team cycling).

 

I don't think it is right to count all the medals of individuals, just as 1.

This website which is from China has them #1 in rankings though, because they are just counting the number of golds awarded, that is also wrong.

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml

 

I just cannot wait for the gold medals to be stripped and given to the Americans in womens gymnastics.

This website which is from China has them #1 in rankings though, because they are just counting the number of golds awarded, that is also wrong.

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/95A/GL0000000.shtml

 

I just cannot wait for the gold medals to be stripped and given to the Americans in womens gymnastics.

 

Me either. :thumb:

I have no problem with them counting it as 1.

 

We dominated team sports, no doubt. But nothing shady here.

 

If the Chinese government is involved - it's shady. Mark it down.

The title of this thread is dead wrong. Team Golds have always been counted as 1 as they should be.

 

No problems here.

The title of this thread is dead wrong. Team Golds have always been counted as 1 as they should be.

 

No problems here.

 

As long as there is consistency in the counting/awarding, I have no problem with it. If we won b-ball and China won gymnastics, each country won one gold medal.

 

Am I correct that in China's count that team gymnastics counted as one?

I am confused here. Are other countries counting total medals amongst athletes, while US is counting event medals? I have no problem with the current setup. One event, regardless of the number of participants, should equal one medal in the tally.

One event, regardless of the number of participants, should equal one medal in the tally.

 

If they only gave out one gold medal, sure...

If they only gave out one gold medal, sure...

 

The problem with the above is that it can distort the truth. If football were to be an Olympic sport and the US won and all 45 members of the team counted in the "gold medal" column but Jamaica won 45 individual gold medals in 45 events, it would appear that both countries had the same success when they did not.