Several Caribbean countries achieved extraordinary results in this year’s Olympics Games, considering their size and GDP, reported El País: “Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Jamaica have won more medals than one would expect from middle-income and tiny countries.”
As expected, The United States and China dominated the medal table at the Paris Olympics, however, smaller countries have also shown amazing success. For example, Saint Lucia, an island nation with just 200,000 inhabitants has won two medals thanks to sprinter Julien Alfred.
As presented by El País, some countries are successful in terms of their population: Dominica, Grenada and Saint Lucia have more than 10 medals per million inhabitants, between 20 and 40 times more than countries like Spain (0.4 per million) or the United States (0.4). Other top-performing countries are Jamaica (2.1), Australia (2), Hungary (2), the Netherlands (1.9) and New Zealand (3.9).
The report notes that other variables predict sporting success – for example, wealth. Countries with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita win more medals per inhabitant, as shown in the following graph. But by crossing these two variables, the reports indicate several exceptional countries that achieve results beyond what is expected from a nation of their size and economic level.
Caribbean Results – Paris Olympics 2024
Cuba: Gold 2, Silver 1, Bronze 6 – Total 9
Jamaica: Gold 1, Silver 3, Bronze 2 – Total 6
Dominican Republic: Gold 1, Silver 0, Bronze 2 – Total 3
Saint Lucia: Gold 1, Silver 1, Bronze 0 – Total 2
Grenada: Gold 0, Silver 0, Bronze 2 – Total 2
Puerto Rico: Gold 0, Silver 0, Bronze 2 – Total 2
Dominica: Gold 1, Silver 0, Bronze 0 – Total 1
The highest performance is seen in the Caribbean islands: Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Jamaica have won more medals than one would expect from middle-income and tiny countries. It is a pattern that has been repeated for decades. For example, Jamaica has won 83 medals since 2004, which is far above the number won by other countries of similar size and income, such as Costa Rica (3 medals), Albania (2) or Lebanon (1).
It has been thrilling to witness athletes from smaller, often overlooked islands and nations rise to the occasion and leave an unforgettable mark on the world stage. We extend our congratulations to all the 2024 Caribbean Olympians. These incredible athletes have won 25 medals and proved to be an amazing inspiration.
Source: El País & Olympics.com