[PapaNew]

I think first place indicates greater athletic ability than third place. Here's the rankings weighted by medal (gold=5 points, silver=3 points, bronze=1 point).

Weighted Final Rankings

Rank Total Points

1 United States 296

2 China 276

3 Russia 178

4 Great Britain 146

5 Germany 109

6 France 87

7 South Korea 81

8 Australia 79

9 Japan 79

10 Italy 59

11 Hungary 55

12 Netherlands 46

13 Ukraine 33

14 Spain 33

15 Kazakhstan 33

16 Cuba 30

17 Brazil 28

18 New Zealand 27

19 Iran 27

20 Jamaica 26

21 Belarus 26

22 Canada 25

23 Czech Republic 24

24 North Korea 23

25 South Africa 22

26 Ethoipia 21

27 Croatia 19

[kabar]

Per capita, Australia is the greatest sporting nation in the Summer Olympics.