Team USA is the best in Summer Olympics

Team USA is the most successful team in the Summer Olympics. They will be in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics to prove that they can take the overall title for the 18th time. If you ask me they will do it again, I have no doubt. The team has already qualified for 324 slot in different sports at the coming 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics to be held in the coming August and September.

A Picture of 2010 Winter Olympics Team USA, Mark Grimmette is carrying the flag

This Picture is Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Team USA first participated in the 1st edition of the modern Summer Olympics held in Athens in 1896. It was among the 14 nations that participated in these inaugural games. It has been consistent in its performance and participation missing only the 1980 edition of the Summer Olympics held in Moscow.

The growth and development of Team USA can be looked at in four stages:

1. Team USA growth and development in the Summer Olympics: The early editions before First World War

2. Team USA growth and development in the Summer Olympics: The editions between the Two World Wars

3. Team USA growth and development in the Summer Olympics: The Cold Wars Year and the rise of Soviet Union and Communism

4. Team USA growth and development in the Summer Olympics: After the fall of Communism

This classification is critical because in each of these 4 stages, some nations boundaries have been altered and new nations have been born plus China has become a great contender.

Team USA has been the most successful team in the Summer Olympics.

They have topped the medal table 17 times, no other nation has managed that.

Team USA has been the second placed team in 8th edition of the Summer Olympics and they have been 3rd on the medal table in only 2 edition of the games; the 1976 edition when they lost to both Soviet Union and East Germany and in 1988, Seoul Summer Olympics games when they lost yet to Soviet Union and East Germany.

Team USA has been beaten to second position by the following nations:-

a. Team France beat Team USA as host in the 1900 Summer edition held in France

b. Team GB (Great Britain) beat Team USA to a second position in the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London

c. Team Germany beat Team USA when they hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin

d. Soviet Union is the only team which has beaten Team USA many times, all this without being the host. Soviet Union first beat Team USA in the 1956 Summer Olympics edition, a year after they first participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Soviet Union or USSR repeated the feat in the 1960 Rome Summer edition. They topped the medal table of the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, putting team USA in the second position.

e. The unified Team of the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona beat USA to the top of medal table. This Unified team was made of athletes from twelve former Soviet Union republics and brought together 475 competitors who managed to win 45 gold medals.

f. Team China has beaten Team USA once, when they hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

In summary, Soviet Union is the only team that has beaten Team USA the most, a record of 5 times in the following Summer Olympics editions: 1956, 1970, 1976 and 1988.

At the second position on an Olympics medal table, Team USA has been beaten twice by the same nation; East Germany, first in 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal Canada and in the 1988 Seoul, South Korea Summer Olympics.

Team USA has missed only one Summer Olympics which they boycotted; this is the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, then in former Soviet Union.

With 2016 Rio Summer Olympics scheduled for August in Brazil, how will Team USA perform? Will the host Brazil top the medal table or will Team China beat Team USA in a foreign soil or will Russia who have been a great contender finally clinch the glory like Soviet Union used to do. It’s all a matter of time. See you in Rio and all the best for Team USA.