All the medal tables ranked countries by the total number of medals won, without regard to whether they were gold, silver or bronze. There is a better way--and very simple--a weighted medal ranking, with gold worth 3 points, silver worth 2 points and bronze worth 1 point. It makes a dramatic difference in rankings (Canada actually comes in second) and the USA drops to fourth, but it is much fairer and gives gold medals their proper weight.

1. Gold Should Glitter The Brightest
Larry Gerbrandt
Principal
Media Valuation Partners

2. 
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The Olympic Games should be a celebration
of athletic excellence—not about which
nation can win the most medals.
But if we are going to keep track, the way the
medals are “valued” in tables could use some
tweaking.
All the medal tables reported in the press add
up gold+silver+bronze medals and rank
countries by the total medal count.

4. There is a better way:
DO A WEIGHTED
MEDAL RANKING

5. 
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With 33 total medals, of which 13 were
gold, Russia indisputably topped the medal
rankings, no matter how the relative value of
gold/silver/bronze was weighted.
The USA, with total medal count of 28 was
ranked second.
But when medal weighting is factored in
Canada ranked second and Norway ranked
third, ahead of the USA.

6. 
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There shouldn’t be an argument that a gold
medal is “worth” more than silver and silver is
“worth” more than bronze.
But the way the current tables are tallied a
nation that gets 10 gold medals but no silver
or bronze would be ranked lower than a
nation that got no gold medals but got, say 7
silver medals and four bronze medals (for a
total of 11 medals).

7. 


Sidestep for a moment the issue of whether
gold should be worth a multiple of silver or
bronze.
Instead, multiply the gold medal count by
3, the silver medal count by 2 and bronze
medals are multiplied by 1.
Under the current convention, a country that
gets 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze would have a
total medal tally of 3.

8. 
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Using the Gold (3x), Silver (2x), Bronze (1x)
weighting system the total medal points
count would be 6.
A medal points system would properly
weight the value.
In instances where two or more countries
have the same point total, then they should
be ranked based on how many gold medals
they received, with silver medals being the
next tiebreaker.

9. The next slide shows how the
rankings would have been
presented if the medal counts
were presented using this
simple 3/2/1 weighting system.

11. Larry Gerbrandt
Principal
Media Valuation Partners
Los Angeles – San Juan Bautista
Phone: 323-988-0506
www.mediavaluationpartners.com
E-mail: larry@mediavaluation.com