The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games saw the United States come out on top of the medal tally, with 113 medals in total. Meanwhile, the Philippines achieved its biggest haul in history, boasting four medals that include the first-ever gold won by Hidilyn F. Diaz, and a silver and two bronzes care of the Philippine boxing team.
However, the countries that topped this year’s chart and made multiple-medal breakthroughs are not necessarily the most efficient at getting Olympic medals.
Ranked according to medals per capita, the United States falls to 54th while San Marino lands in first place. The tiny country inside Italy — population, 34,000 — sent five athletes to Tokyo and clinched three medals.
Bermuda and Grenada — at second and third place, respectively — are small nations that managed one medal each. Notably, the Netherlands did well in both rankings, with 36 medals proportional to its population, pushing it up to ninth in the medal tally.
The Philippines, with more than 109 million people, is in 84th place (translating to one medal per 27,395,269 Filipinos). With renewed support from the private sector, the country can hope for a better showing at the next Olympics. — Brontë H. Lacsamana