Decades of Participation but 'No Medals'... Which Countries Lack Funds and Talent? [Paris Olympics]

NYT "66 Countries Have Won No Olympic Medals"
20-30 Appearances Yet Empty-Handed
Poor Country Nepal Struggles to Invest in Sports
Wealthy Monaco Faces Challenges Finding Athletes Due to Small Population

There are as many as 70 countries that have participated in the Olympics for decades but have returned empty-handed without winning a single medal. This means that one-third of the countries and regions entering the athletes' parade at the opening ceremony have no medal records.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The New York Times (NYT) recently reported that since the modern Olympics began in 1896, more than 150 countries and regions have won medals, but 66 countries and regions have never won a medal in either the Summer or Winter Olympics combined. For example, Monaco, a European country with a population of 36,000, has participated in the Olympics 32 times but has never secured a medal. Andorra, located between Spain's Catalonia region and France (25 appearances), and Bolivia in South America (22 appearances) have also participated many times but remain without medals.

Marco Luque, a member of the Bolivian Olympic Committee and president of the Athletics Federation, confessed about this situation, saying, "It is disappointing. I feel powerless." Hector Garibay, an active Bolivian marathon runner, expressed his determination to win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, stating, "I want to make my country proud and show that anything is possible."

Olympic medals do not necessarily represent the athletes' efforts and passion alone. However, they serve as an opportunity to reward the long hours of effort invested by athletes and act as a result that brings great achievement and satisfaction.

Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who won the gold medal in the women's 100m sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

In fact, at this Olympics, the Dominican Republic (gold medal in women's triple jump) and Saint Lucia (gold medal in women's 100m sprint) achieved their first medals, creating a festive atmosphere in those countries. Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia explained, "(Winning a medal) means a lot to many small island nations," adding, "We started from a small place, but this shows that we can stand on the biggest stage in our careers."

Experts explain that winning a medal at the Olympics is not easy with just the individual efforts of national athletes. To nurture a capable representative athlete, investments are needed, such as training, facilities, and providing allowances. However, most no-medal countries find it difficult to support these. Additionally, talent scouting suitable for each sport is necessary, which is challenging for countries with small populations. The NYT explained that no-medal countries are often a combination of ▲small countries with low populations ▲countries in disadvantaged environments ▲newly established countries, where historical, political, and economic circumstances make winning medals difficult.

For example, Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, has participated in the Olympics 18 times but has never won a medal. Although its population is 31 million, not small, its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is only $1,300 (about 1.77 million KRW), which is very low, resulting in insufficient investment in sports. There is also a lack of funds for infrastructure development such as roads, hospitals, and schools, making it difficult to invest in national athletes.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

For such countries, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has created a fund in cooperation with 178 National Olympic Committees to operate a scholarship system. The fund for 2021?2024 was $590 million. Among the 11,000 athletes who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 827 received scholarships, and they secured 113 medals. Among them, Turkmenistan (silver medal in women's weightlifting), Burkina Faso (bronze medal in men's triple jump), and San Marino (silver medal in mixed trap shooting, bronze medals in women's trap shooting and men's freestyle 86kg wrestling) won medals for the first time in their Olympic history.

The stigma of being a no-medal country is not only due to lack of investment. Monaco, a wealthy country with a per capita GDP of $241,000, has a population of only 36,000, making it difficult to discover athletes. Kirani James, a sprinter from Grenada in the Caribbean with a population of 125,000, explained, "Small countries have a smaller talent pool compared to large countries." Bolivia, a no-medal country, is reportedly conducting research to identify sports with higher medal-winning potential.