The World’s Most Populous Nation Didn’t Win a Gold Medal in Paris

Power. Entertainment. Money. The Olympics have long been an extension of the geopolitics of the day, and this year’s competition was no different. The two largest economies in the world, the United States and China, wrestled for top spot of the medal table. Tied on 40 gold medals each — the primary measure used by the International Olympic Committee to rank countries — the US claimed the top spot due to a higher silver medal count, helping it to a total medal haul of 126, the only nation to break the century mark.

But, one of the most striking macro stories of the games is India’s relative underperformance.

Despite a population of more than 1.4 billion, India won just 6 medals, with no gold medals, placing them 71st in the rankings. A country with phenomenal economic potential, which is increasingly being realized, many experts blame a chronic lack of investment in athletics and sports for the country’s underwhelming performance. Although, understandably, pouring money into elite sports is unlikely to be a vote-winning domestic policy when poverty and malnutrition remain all-too-common issues. Indeed, India’s GDP per capita remains around one-fifth of China’s.

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