The Complete Olympic Games - Country by Country: 2024 Edition

There are a number of books about the history of the Olympics. Several of those list medal winners. However, this is, as far as I am aware, the first book that looks at each country in turn, and discovers their Olympic record. How successful have they been, in proportion to their population? Which sports have they excelled at? And, if they are one of the many countries that have never won an Olympic medal, how close have they got?The idea for researching this information first came to me when I read that Alessandra Perilli’s 4th-place finish in the 2012 women’s trap Shooting event was the highest ever position achieved in an Olympic event by a competitor from San Marino. It made me wonder – had San Marino ever got near 4th place before? How many countries have never even managed that? Are there any countries that have never reached the top eight of an event? Or the top 16? (The answer is yes, plenty – indeed, there is just one country which has never even finished in the top 32 of any Olympic event – read on to find out which!). And what about countries like the US Virgin Islands, or Togo; they have won just one medal each, but was it a flash in the pan? Or the climax of years of getting close? This book seeks to provide the answers.From reading each country’s entry in the book, you will find the following information:Which Games that country has competed inWhich years have seen that country’s peak Olympic performancesWho the top-performing Olympians from that country have beenWhat the best sports have been for that countryHow that country has fared specifically in Athletics and Swimming – the two biggest sports of the Games…and much more Read more