Who Wins the Olympic Games: Economic Development and Medal Totals

Bernard, Andrew B.; Busse, Meghan R.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.246937

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Who Wins the Olympic Games: Economic Development and Medal Totals

23 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2000

See all articles by Andrew B. Bernard

Andrew B. Bernard

Dartmouth College - Tuck School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Meghan R. Busse

University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 20, 2000

Abstract

This paper examines determinants of Olympic success at the country level. Does the U.S. win its fair share of Olympic medals? Why does China win 6% of the medals even though it has 1/5 of the world's population? We consider the role of population and economic development in determining medal totals from 1960-1996. We also provide out of sample predictions for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

JEL Classification: O10, L83

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Bernard, Andrew B. and Busse, Meghan R., Who Wins the Olympic Games: Economic Development and Medal Totals (October 20, 2000). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=246937 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.246937