The hero’s welcome planned for returning Australian Olympic athletes testifies to the close relationship between sport, nationalism and national identity. A euphoric Anthony Albanese, in praising our high-achieving athletes, knows that a country’s gold medal tally is a crude but effective way of showcasing a nation’s strength.
The Lowy Institute’s 2023 Comprehensive Power Index lists the US, China, Japan, India, Russia and Australia in descending order of their perceived overall power. Against this backdrop, the final medal tally of the Paris Games presents interesting reading.
The US and China each finished with 40 gold medals. Although China still trailed behind the US in the total medal tally, everyone knows it’s the gold that matters.
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