The Best Metal-Grabbing Games Ever: How a Tiny Nation Won the Most Medals (By Far)

Abstract

For three Winter Olympics in a row, tiny nation Norway has out-medalled everyone else, in 2026 winning 18 golds, 12 silvers, 11 bronzes, i.e.~41 medals, compared to e.g.~12 + 12 + 9 = 33 for the USA, 10 + 6 + 14 = 30 for home team Italy, 8 + 10 + 7 = 26 for powerhouse Germany, etc. Never before have we [pluralis proudiensis] or anyone else won as many as 41 medals at a Winter Olympics. But how impressive is this, really, when we factor in that the number of events has increased so drastically?

15 pages, 6 figures; written up three days after the 2026 Winter Olympics. Readers are advised to print out the report and then to pencil in vertical lines and bars for Appendix C, page 13