About the medal table

As is traditional, the table prioritises the number of gold medals won. On this basis at the 2020 Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, the United States led the field with 39 golds, with China second on 38 and Japan third with 27. If countries have the same number of gold medals, the order is then dictated by which has the most silvers, and finally bronze if the numbers are still identical.

The US won 113 medals overall in Tokyo, while Great Britain, in fourth, had more medals overall than third-placed Japan, 65 to 58. UK Sport has said it hopes Team GB will win “between 50 and 70” medals in Paris.

France, the host country at the 2024 Games, came eighth in the medal table in 2020 with 10 gold medals. The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) president, David Lappartient, is targeting a top-five finish in the table at their home Games and has set a target of 20 gold medals.

Australia did not have a medals target for the Tokyo Games and came sixth, with an impressive haul of 17 gold medals and Australia’s Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, has adopted the same approach for Paris 2024 to give athletes a “reprieve around the pressure of performance”.