How Many Olympic Medals Are Available To Be Won?
Success at the Olympic Games is frequently gauged by the number of medals won, leading to a ranking of countries and the celebration of multi-medalists like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, Paavo Nurmi, and Larisa Latynina. Athletes in sports such as gymnastics and swimming often have an edge due to the sheer number of events offering medals, unlike team sports such as hockey, basketball, or volleyball. Additionally, the total number of sports and available medals has evolved over time, with more sports and medals available now compared to the early 20th century.
Arguably, the greatest Olympic athlete ever and the winner of the most gold medals, Michael Phelps, was advantaged by the high number of medals available in swimming. It was a lot easier for him to win multiple medals at each Olympic Games than an exceptional athlete in a team sport such as football, handball and hockey where there is only one of each medal available at each Olympiad.
The Total Number of Medals
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games there have been quite a few changes to sports and events - there are 32 sports and a total of 329 events. Despite the new sport of breakdancing, there is one fewer sport overall and ten fewer events compared to the previous Olympic Games. Although there are 329 medal events, because some sports award multiple bronze medalists and the occasional third place tie and other abnormalities, there are even more medals awarded.
Number of Medals Per Sport
The number and range of sports on the Olympic program has varied over time, and therefore so has the number of medals that could be won at each Olympiad. Here is the breakdown of the available gold medals per sport from the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Clearly, the opportunity to win multiple medals is greater for athletics and swimming, and in swimming it is more likely for athletes to compete in multiple events.
Number of Available Gold Medals in 2024
| Number | sport/event |
|---|---|
| 48 | Athletics |
| 37 | Swimming |
| 15 | Judo Shooting |
| 14 | Artistic Gymnastics Rowing |
| 13 | Boxing |
| 12 | Fencing Freestyle Wrestling Track cycling |
| 10 | Canoe Sprint Sailing Weightlifting |
| 8 | Diving Taekwondo |
| 6 | Canoe Slalom Equestrian Greco-Roman Wrestling |
| 5 | Archery Badminton Table tennis Tennis |
| 4 | Basketball BMX cycling Road cycling Skateboarding Sport climbing |
| 3 | Triathlon |
| 2 | Artistic (synchronized) swimming Beach volleyball Breaking Field hockey Football (Soccer) Golf Handball Indoor Volleyball Modern pentathlon Mountain biking Rhythmic Gymnastics Rugby sevens Surfing Trampoline Water polo |
Related Pages
- Available medals in 2016, 2021
- List of sports for each Olympiad
- Medal tables from all Olympic Games
- Gold, Silver, Bronze — it is not always that simple
- Top medal winners for each sport
- A comparison of different medal ranking systems
- Number of available medals at the Winter Olympics
- About Olympic Medals
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