At the 2026 Winter Olympics, 116 sports and approximately 2,900 athletes competed.
According to Lent.az, citing foreign media, only a small fraction of participants returned with gold, silver, and bronze medals. Norway led in the medal count with 41 medals.
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The United States is second in the ranking with 33 medals. Of these medals, 12 are gold, a new national record for the Winter Games. American athletes also took first place at the last Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, winning 126 medals, including 40 gold. China, Great Britain, and France follow in the subsequent places.
The International Olympic Committee does not compile rankings, but the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage keeps statistics on the number of medals. According to the foundation, the rankings are as follows (excluding medals from the 2026 Olympics):
1. United States – 3103 medals in total.
2. The Soviet Union won 1204 medals.
3. Germany – 1091 medals in total.
However, there are some nuances: according to the foundation, although the United States leads in the total number of medals, it does not hold first place when it comes to medals at the Winter Olympics.
Ranking of countries participating in the Winter Olympics:
1. Norway, with 404 medals
2. USA
3. Germany
Which countries have the most Olympic gold medals?
1. USA – 1220
2. Soviet Union – 473 gold medals
3. Germany – 355 gold medals
By 2026, Great Britain, France, Italy, China, Sweden, and Norway had won more than 200 gold medals.
In the Winter Olympics ranking, Norway is first with 148 gold medals, followed by the USA and Germany with 114 and 113 gold medals, respectively.
In the current games, Norway set a new record for the most gold medals won in a single Winter Olympics, surpassing the 16 medals it won four years ago.
Athletes with the most Olympic medals
1. American swimmer Michael Phelps. He is the most decorated Olympic athlete to date. Phelps has 23 gold, three silver, and two bronze medals won in five games.
2. Former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina is the most successful Olympian with 18 Olympic medals: nine gold, five silver, and four bronze.
3. Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen was the most decorated female Winter Olympian of 2018 with 15 medals, including eight gold.
4. Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen has the most medals among male Winter Olympians – 14.
5. Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who won eight medals in three Winter Olympics, ranks first among US Winter Olympians.