Guess who’s dominating the world in Paralympic medals?

There are many ways to count Olympic medals for country rankings, but by the two most common ways — by total medals or just golds — China is leaving the rest of the world in the dust when it comes to Paralympic medals. The Paralympic Games close tomorrow (or today, if you’re several time zones ...

592582_080916_medalcount5.jpg
592582_080916_medalcount5.jpg

There are many ways to count Olympic medals for country rankings, but by the two most common ways -- by total medals or just golds -- China is leaving the rest of the world in the dust when it comes to Paralympic medals.

There are many ways to count Olympic medals for country rankings, but by the two most common ways — by total medals or just golds — China is leaving the rest of the world in the dust when it comes to Paralympic medals.

The Paralympic Games close tomorrow (or today, if you’re several time zones ahead of Passport), and the standings as of the timing of this post show that China has won 207 total medals, more than double No. 2 Britain’s 102. When it comes to just golds, China has won 87, again more than double No. 2 Britain’s 42.

As discussed on the Becker-Posner blog, a country’s Olympic performance can be predicted by factors such as population, per capita income, presence of an authoritarian government, and whether a country is hosting the Olympics. My hunch is that these factors also predict Paralympic performance, but perhaps other factors include how many people in a country’s population meet the Paralympics’ eligibility criteria and how well a country supports those with disabilities.

China also dominated the Paralympics’ medal count (by total medals and by golds) in the 2004 Athens Games. Australia had the most medals and golds at the 2000 Sydney Games, and by the same counts, the United States was on top at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009 to 2016 and was an FP assistant editor from 2007 to 2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.