The Diversity Olympics

America becomes more like the world. So does the Olympics. All of that is good

The Olympics have become more diverse, in terms of sports, events, gender, and countries winning medals. Meanwhile, America continues to win the most overall medals (tying in Paris with China on gold only) while fielding an increasingly diverse pool of athletes. This is an encouraging convergence: we become more like the world and yet remain entirely — and successfully — American as we do so.

Some perspective: all-time medals winners in the Winter Games, where. the US trails only Norway (frankly, to my surprise, as I would have thought we’d be lower).

In terms of Summer Games, the US leads by a ways.

Unsurprisingly, our dominance in the Summer Games gives us the overall lead on every type of medal and the combined medal count.

Since 1972 (Munich Games), the number of medal events has dramatically increased from 195 to 329 in Paris.

Of course, the Olympics continue to add new sports (only 21 in 1972, up to 32 now), and the U.S. (which gave the Olympics volleyball and basketball) is at the forefront, most recently accounting for breaking, surfing, and skateboarding.

As such, more medals are awarded over time: a mere 600 in Munich (1972) and over 1,000 in Paris (1,039).

All of this speaks to a more open, and equalized, and truly globalized Olympics over time:

Per a WAPO editorial:

This Olympiad should be remembered for the diversity of those who medaled. Five teams won gold, silver or bronze for the first time, extending a longer-term trend toward a more competitively balanced Olympics.

Gender equality has expanded around the world in recent decades

Per the WAPO editorial:

Economics isn’t the only factor responsible for a nation’s medal count. Research has shown that higher gender equality in a country correlates with more female athletes winning medals, even after controlling for gross domestic product and population. Hence another milestone this year: The Paris Games were the first in which an equal number of male and female athletes took part — a stunning rise from the 1980s, when only a quarter of Olympic athletes were female.

How much you wanna bet that Title 9 had something to do with that?

By 2016, one in every five girls in the United States played sports, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation. Before passage of Title IX, that number had been one in 27.

My two youngest at home right now run cross country (all-conference as frosh) and track (Abebu), in addition to playing soccer and softball (Metsuwat). These are fabulous experiences I took for granted in the late 1970s, just as that opportunity began to expand for girls (Nixon signed Title IX of the Civil Rights Act into law in 1972). Now, it’s hard to imagine a world without it.

That’s progress and progressivism, like somehow finding a worthy woman as nominee for US president two out of the last three times. I mean, why limit your competitive pool to just half your population?

Now, some nice broad framing by WAPO:

New nations on the podium are also a reminder that, for all the world’s problems, the past quarter-century has brought a historic decline in poverty and the rise of a “global middle class.” Improved economic opportunity allows more young, talented people a chance to pursue their athletic careers — even on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

Love it.

Another positive trend cited:

Easier, less expensive movement across borders — has resulted in athletes from poorer countries making use of top training facilities in richer ones.

It used to be that America and the Soviets dominated the medal counts (and frankly it was boring), but that is far less so today.

Here’s some history on US gold medals won: