2020 vs 2024 Summer Olympics medal tally : A look at the biggest winners and losers in Paris
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, which was held from 26 July to 11 August, have just ended. 329 events were held in 32 different sports, as this was one of the most watched Summer Olympics in history. New stars were born, while familiar faces were seen everywhere.
Compared to the previous Summer Olympics held in Tokyo three years ago due to the pandemic, Paris symbolized a return to normalcy, as it brought out full crowds and a festive atmosphere as opposed to empty stadiums and health protocols in 2021. One thing which did not have much of an effect though, were the performance of the countries, as similar winners were seen in both 2021 and 2024. Here is a comparison of the medal tally of the top 10 countries in both the Summer Olympics.
2024 Summer Olympics Medal Tally
| Order | NOCs | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1. | USA | 40 | 44 | 42 |
| 2. | China | 40 | 27 | 24 |
| 3. | Japan | 20 | 12 | 13 |
| 4. | Australia | 18 | 19 | 16 |
| 5. | France | 16 | 26 | 22 |
| 6. | Netherlands | 15 | 7 | 12 |
| 7. | Great Britain | 14 | 22 | 29 |
| 8. | Republic of Korea | 13 | 9 | 10 |
| 9. | Italy | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| 10. | Germany | 12 | 13 | 8 |
2020 Summer Olympics Medal Tally
| Order | NOCs | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1. | USA | 39 | 41 | 33 |
| 2. | China | 38 | 32 | 19 |
| 3. | Japan | 27 | 14 | 17 |
| 4. | Great Britain | 22 | 20 | 22 |
| 5. | ROC | 20 | 28 | 23 |
| 6. | Australia | 17 | 7 | 22 |
| 7. | Netherlands | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| 8. | France | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| 9. | Germany | 10 | 11 | 16 |
| 10. | Italy | 10 | 10 | 20 |
Biggest winners at Paris Olympics 2024
The United States of America were once again the winners of the Summer Olympics as they accumulated a total of 126 medals including 40 gold medals, outdoing their performance in Tokyo. The USA have now finished at the top of the medal tally seven times out of the last ten Summer Olympics. China closely followed at second place with 91 medals but tied with the USA in gold medals. China has been the most consistent nation at the Olympics after the USA, as they have not been ranked outside the top 3 since Sydney 2000.
Other notable winners included Japan with 45 medals which included 20 golds, Australia with 53 medals and 18 golds and the host nation France with 64 medals including 16 golds. These nations also featured in the top 10 in Tokyo as well.
Biggest losers at Paris Olympics 2024
Great Britain fell out of the top 5 countries this year and got only 14 gold medals, compared to their 22 in Tokyo. Though they are still in the top ranks and continue to perform well in cycling, rowing and athletics, the British have gradually been having less dominant showing as compared to their previous Olympics.
Although Germany got 12 gold medals, more than what they managed in Tokyo, they have been below par their usual historical performances during previous Olympics. A similar case could be said for Italy.
Conclusion
As far as medal tally goes, not much has changed. The USA and China continue to stay dominant at the Summer Olympics due to their expertise in sports such as basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, swimming, weightlifting, etc. While European nations have followed through and stayed firmly in the top 10. But a breath of fresh air was felt in Paris as the Summer Olympics returned to its full glory with celebrations and new records being broken.
