Countries that underachieve vs countries that overachieve in sports relative to their size

[Creoda]

What about the US itself? For sure they are great at swimming and athletics of various sorts in particular, but as far as team sports are concerned the only one they excel in which is genuinely global is basketball, although women's soccer there is excellent and even the men's team isn't the joke it used to be.

They underachieve pathetically in Soccer for sure, but 2 of their 4 major sports are basically exclusive to America, and being far and away the most successful country at the Olympics (at least since the USSR split up) means they can't be called underachievers IMO. They didn't take international Basketball and Ice Hockey very seriously historically, and the Olympics was only open to amateurs until the late 80s, hence the Eastern Euro communists cleaning up.

[Sebastianus Rex]

If we break the 10 million rule, then the former East Germany (which had around 15 million) would destroy everyone at the Olympics, ranking 2nd and 3rd on the medal list on several events. Most ex soviet bloc countries were tremendously overachievers (not in big stadium sports with huge fanbases such as football tough) but the DDR was on their own class.

[Tooting Carmen]

If we break the 10 million rule, then the former East Germany (which had around 15 million) would destroy everyone at the Olympics, ranking 2nd and 3rd on the medal list on several events. Most ex soviet bloc countries were tremendously overachievers (not in big stadium sports with huge fanbases such as football tough) but the DDR was on their own class.

There are credible allegations that the female athletes in particular from the GDR doped en masse.

[Sebastianus Rex]

Olympics is grosso modo kind of a crap parameter anyway as most of those sports are irrelevant and not economically viable on a professional level. Swimming alone, which is extremely meh, accounts for hundreds of medals and many dozens to canoeing, fencing, archery, and other similarly irrelevant niche sports.

[Sebastianus Rex]

There are credible allegations that the female athletes in particular from the GDR doped en masse.

Sure...and americans and many others didn’t , such as the 1980's 100 meters female world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner who died under 40 yrs, Carl Lewis (admittedly used forbidden substances) , Ben Johnson (canadian-jamaican), Lance Armstrong and many many others who used it and were or not discovered.

[Tooting Carmen]

Sure...and americans and many others didn’t , such as the 1980's 100 meters female world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner who died under 40 yrs, Carl Lewis (admittedly used forbidden substances) , Ben Johnson (canadian-jamaican), Lance Armstrong and many many others who used it and were or not discovered.

Granted, but it did seem at least a little more systematised in the GDR and maybe some other Soviet bloc countries.

[Jehan]

I was about to quote Australie has a massive sport overachiever but Creoda was faster.

Maybe we can add Norway but they are mainly present in winter sport, where they have a natural advantages and far less opponent.
Iceland acheive to have exceptionnal football and handall team considering the syze of the country.


In underacheiver of course India and most os south and east asia. But they might play sport we don't really know like Criket, Kabaddi or seppak tekraw.

[Jehan]

Olympics is grosso modo kind of a crap parameter anyway as most of those sports are irrelevant and not economically viable on a professional level. Swimming alone, which is extremely meh, accounts for hundreds of medals and many dozens to canoeing, fencing, archery, and other similarly irrelevant niche sports.

Which sport do you want to see in olympic games? In gneral they select the most widely play sport with the most audience around the world.

[Sebastianus Rex]

Granted, but it did seem at least a little more systematised in the GDR and maybe some other Soviet bloc countries.

All the records that hold more than 5-10 years (depending on the sport) you can rest assured they used doping...realistically they all do to some extend.

[Sebastianus Rex]

Which sport do you want to see in olympic games? In gneral they select the most widely play sport with the most audience around the world.

I mean, swimming gives aways hundreads of medals because there's countless styles, distances, individual x team events etc, same for many otger irrelevant sports while truly popular sports with a high level of professionalization and with massive competition with millions of practioners dreaming to achieve a professional status such as football or even to a lesser extend rugby or basketball etc, which count only as 1 olympic medal. So the Olympics do not truly reflect the sporting might of a country since nobody cares about about most of those sports and the number of medals given is just ridiculous.