Why do some countries do better

Wasn't that largely because they were mostly Greeks?

The "Olympic Model" is indeed wrong. The idea was to lay down the weapons and find the best single man in a discipline. It had nothing to do with his country or nationality. He won the olive branch for HIMSELF.

Money plays a major part to help the progress of sport and those participating in sports. Talent, dedication, hard work, confidence are the main ingredients for someone to get better at sports. Money does not create a top sports person it helps to enhance those already good at sports and those wishing to pursue the dream of being better. In jamaica there are an abudance of talented track athletes. They will receive a certain amount of training, but even the coaches know that they can only do so much. In order for them to get to the next plateau they will need better facilities etc. Natural talent is key, some of the worlds most talented sports people have come from a background where they were not born with a gold spoon in their mouths. Most kids or young adults with those priviledges lack the necessary drive, as they already have everything. The US does well factors in a lot of things the size the facilities, the type of trained coaches/sports scientist, the history of that country, role models or lack of for children, ambitions etc. a major factor also is also the lack of role models for children. If you have a idol or hero some one to look upto quite often theat person will act as a catalyst for children to aim higher. Qatar has had barshim win bronze and now you will find that more kids will try to emulate him. All it takes is for one person to break through. If you also look at the Bolt thing more and more kids are aspiring to be like him and this has given youth hope where there might not have been there before "Believe and you will Achieve"

Mo Farah was a true blue Brit I think

mozaismyhero said "The Olympic model is wrong, it should not be countries competing just individuals."

The Olympics is about bringing the nations of the world together in one place to foster unity, idealistically ... so, the model is correct, countries competing, each representative carrying the hopes of the country they represent.

Overall, of course, it's also marketing & spending money and floating the economy and eventually, make money (hopefully). Wonder how long will UK take to recoup its costs for the 2012 Games with new investments in the future.

Loved the women's 5000 Metres result yesterday

1. Ethiopia

2. Kenya

3. Ethiopia

4. Kenya

5. Ethiopia

6. Kenya

Wonder how many of those had million dollar contracts.

Yes, determination and will power need to be the drivers, but if there are no facilities or world class coaches or someone to bear the costs , then one doesn't get far.

who won the medals for Qatar?

The Olympic model is wrong, it should not be countries competing just individuals. It should be the best of the world competing, regardless of where they come from. So if that means the 8 fastest 100 M runners are all from a lump of land called India then so be it, but the IOC are not about fairness or true competition, they are about money.

i think, this is related to the policies of individual countries and the vision of its leaders. then most importantly the dedication of its athlets -no matter if they do it for themself or to the nation.regardless the country is poor or rich ,if it has budget for sports and good system without corruption-thats it.

Zola Budd used to run bare foot :O)

I don't think it has, initially, anything to do with money. It is about the people, their determination, their unwavering will to win.

If there is a will, there is a way.

Prism--??? What was my target then? Because I didn't realize I had one beyond posing the question after looking at the medal table.

There are numerous examples where poor athlets from poor countries have won against over-paid athlets from rich countries.

Money and investment of those funds into emerging athletes is important, but natural talent counts for a great deal at this level. I just wonder why so much of it seems to be concentrated in certain countries.

One other thing to consider in the medal count is that countries which heavily invest in women's sports and uphold the notion of gender equality as a society do extremely well too.

After the race, when Bikila was asked why he had run BAREFOOT, he replied, “I wanted the world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism."

This was in 1960 and in 1964. You see, you don't even need shoes to become an Olympic Gold Medallist!

Abebe Bikila, Ethiopia.

The target of the thread was found but somehow it is missed...:) anyways the discussion is still alive...

tattoed brain in every rule there's an exemption. But still you can't discount the money. Tintu Luka still needs the money to buy her clothes, shoes etc. for her sports development. Most especially foods and vitamins to nourished her athletic body and mind. Do you think she can still be a champion living her life like Tarzan in the jungle?

Guys have a look on this young girl Tintu Luka's achievement. She has been brought up in an Indian village in Kannur, in the state of Kerala. Please check the below link for more news as her achievements are remarkable where she didn't have any financial support or million dollar sponsors in such a poor country like India. So it's not the money matter, one should have interest to achieve something. That's it. Unfortunately I couldn't find her home photos and village photos in the internet. They say there is no electricity in her village at this moment. Tintu Luka hasn't won any medals yet but must say, this is unbelievable achievement when compared to other countries who have spent a lot of money for their athletes for an Olympic medal. http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_olympics-2012-tintu-luka-crashes-out-of-london-games_1726177

I remember a Gold Medal winner saying:" I did it FOR MYSELF!" when he was asked if he wasn't proud of having won a medal for his country.

Nationalism at its best!!

Haha Flanostu!

Are you moaning about Team GB coz the Aussies did so badly this time!

Its a bit rich when the papers in Oz are publishing results for AUS ZEALAND haha

Anyways team GB should really be called Team UK as thats who they represent..

But why don't you make the same claim for the USA, which is pretty much the same kind of union with all the different states having different laws etc...

And even if it was just team England this time we would still have beaten the Aussies OUCH!

In other words, you have to implement the idea in children, you have to tell them that "a healthy mind lives in a healthy body". And you have to give them choices. I did pole vault jump when I was twelve. I doubt that a twelve year old here has a chance to do that, too.

True Word Sincerelyurs. LP don't worry it's Jamaica no problem ......To di worl......

Money actually follows the talent.. Something happens when we are driven by a passion and inner born skills. I was a Gymnast at my school and I do remember that I used to jog and do cycling in the early morning without any fear of parents or anybody.It is something born and attracts us towards the game. My father is a retired Army person and he himself saw Milkha Singh the Flying Sikh of India running in Jammu & Kashmir's chilled weather at 4 o clock in the morning. Now a days if u r talented and passion is maddening u can get the proper place in the world and than the money starts chasing u.. See Mary Kom of India Or Sania Nehwal they come from ordinary backgrounds but still they r winning assets.But yes USA is the biggest trader of booking profits on the poor athletes otherwise how will they sell their top notch brands to the world :(

Some people say he used a lot of cocaine to "fly" so high. Surely NOT government supported, I guess.

Javier Sotomayor Sanabria (born 1967) is a Cuban former track and field athlete, who specialized in the high jump and is the CURRENT world record holder. The 1992 Olympic champion, he was the dominant high jumper of the 1990s; he is the only person ever to have cleared 8 feet (2.44 meters)! He is widely regarded as the best high jumper of all time. I wonder, if he had a million dollar contract with an American company.

Great Britain isn't a country. Split the countries comprising of GB to get a truer picture.

And Qatar has done phenomenally well??? Sorry i must be looking at the wrong table.

Hats off to the poorer countries with little or no funding.

I probably know more about athletics than you, JA GIRL, I did it myself quite sucessfully, but it's useless to communicate. You can have your opinion, and I can have mine.

When you are in the sports arena and have first hand experience LP then you can speak. Think about your question? Do you notice which one of the boys you know about? Usain Bolt.Do you know why you only know about that specific boy LP? Because he got the million dollar contract that puts him on television so you can see him allllll the way in whichever country you are in. Did you know about Warren Weir before he won the Olympics. Did you know he won every race he competed in at the Boys Champs? I would suppose your answer would be no, since the media didn't have him in the spotlight since he doesn't have a million dollar contract. But it's ok LP. I have learnt by being in this country that we reason differently in the West than persons from the east Cause persons from the east don't see things our way since they don't experience the same things we experience. When you are in our situation LP then you can speak for us. Otherwise speak for your country and leave Jamaica to the JAMAICANS :-)

It begins in the schools. How many schools in Qatar have a stadium at hand? How many have qualified sports teachers? Do they have a sports university in Qatar?

if the government of the country motivates their athletes well enough, then there will be better results

Even if the government of Qatar would invest billions in sports, do you think that all of a sudden Qataris (original ones) would want to spend eight hours a day in the track and fields?

Being a sports man doesn't count in some cultures. An Indian mother was asked the question the OP asked, and she answered, it was more important to have a good education than to be good at sports! The money flows into sports to polish the image of a nation (it's politics), but it doesn't CREATE sports talents.

Well then, how come there are boys running faster than other boys? Do they have million dollar contracts already at that age??

Talent man. It's an inborn gift. But it needs to be polish with cooperation and help from high caliber coaches and sports people. And you need green bucks to do that. Good salaries, benefits, sport facilities and sports fans make the best of the best athlete in the world.

How do you know that there wasn't anyone else at boys champs who ran faster than him? Just to inform you there was. You only know what the media shows you. I know from what we see in Jamaica.

Britexpat i agree totally with you.

JA GIRL, so when USain Bolt was fourteen he had million dollar contracts?????????? He ran faster than anyone else at that age. How come?

I liked a comment on TV: "In this race are five Kenyans. Although you may say that only three per country are allowed. Well, some of the Kenyans wear a trickot from Bahrain or Qatar!

Lincoln Pirate i am a Jamaican and i can personally tell you that you are wrong. Speaking from experience it has to do with money. The Jamaican athletes that are winning the medals are those that have multi million dollar sponsorships and endorsements. Veronica Campbell Brown is a citizen of the USA and she trains in USA. So she has access to first class facilities and she has a multi million dollar sponsorship out of the USA. The Younger generation of athletes in Jamaica that can make a difference don't stand a chance if they don't have the financial backing to go through training and get the necessary treatment if injured etc. Sanya Richards-Ross was born in Jamaica but was scouted from high school and given USA citizenship for herself and family and her education and sponsorship deals was in the millions. So when you look at it in this perspective it all has to do with MONEY.

There is no single formula. Different countries do well for differing reasons.

The Americans do well because they have systems in place for youngsters to excell, especially with scholarships and sponsorships.

The Chinese are doing well because the government is building academies and pushing sports as a means of showi casing the country (similar to East Germany)

The Jamaicans and Africans do well because indivisuals see sports as a way of escaping poverty.

Qatar: place 66!! The 'richest country' in the world. Ha, ha, ha.

luks like..it depends on the government and also percentage of people interested in sports of a country

In this case, guys, Qatar obviously doesn't seem to be the 'richest country' in the world. Ha, ha, didn't I always say this?

LP Jamaica may not be rich. But there's a lot of big US companies and private individuals who support and sponsor athletics talents of Jamaica. Without funds or money how you are going to develop the talents for international quality? So money is for nothing?

LP...it's all about money!

Check my country' Olympic history in 1976 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2012/medals/historic/1976.html

and 1984 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2012/medals/historic/1984.html

After 1990, they left the country for more money ...!

Jamaica has done extremely well!! It has 2.8 million people and won 9 medals (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronce). Jamaica is NOT rich! The argument of money is false!

Sports is about talents and funding. How do you expect a poor country with lots of talents but lacks fund for sport facilities and program developments. Money can buy talents.