India’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been notable, with six medals in total. Despite this, India is ranked below Pakistan in the medal tally. Here’s a breakdown of why this happens and how the Olympic ranking system works.
Current Medal Standings
- India: 1 Silver, 5 Bronze
- Pakistan: 1 Gold
Rankings and Positions
- India: 66th
- Pakistan: 56th
The Olympic Ranking System
The Olympic ranking system prioritizes gold medals over silver and bronze medals. Here’s how it works:
- Gold Medals: A country with more gold medals is ranked higher. For example, China leads the medal tally with 32 gold medals, despite the U.S. having more total medals.
- Silver Medals: If countries have the same number of gold medals, the number of silver medals is used to break the tie.
- Bronze Medals: Bronze medals are considered only when countries have the same number of gold and silver medals.
- Equal Medals: If two countries have the same number of gold, silver, and bronze medals, they are ranked equally.
Example: Current Rankings
- China: 78 total medals, 32 gold
- USA: 108 total medals, 31 gold
China leads due to having more gold medals, even though the U.S. has more total medals.
Specific Case: India vs. Pakistan
- India: With 1 silver and 5 bronze, India’s total medal count is higher, but the gold medal counts for ranking purposes.
- Pakistan: With 1 gold medal, Pakistan is ranked higher because gold medals are weighted more heavily in the ranking system.
Understanding this system helps clarify why India, despite having more medals overall, is ranked below Pakistan due to the prioritization of gold medals.
