Which country will win the most medals at the Winter Olympics?
There are 102 events at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but there are only three medals for each. Which country will take home the biggest haul of gold, silver, and bronze, though, is a toss up, judging by The Wall Street Journal's projections in each event: By their analysis, the United States and Norway could each win 36 medals.
Sports Info Solutions founder John Dewan used the Journal's data to run 1,000 simulations of the 2018 Olympics. The U.S. won or tied for most overall medals 447 times; Norway won or tied 438 times; Canada 145; and Germany 103. South Korea, which is hosting the games, is expected to walk away with 13 medals overall, including in short-track and long-track speed skating.
While the United States is one of the most diverse sporting nations, expected to take home medals in 80 percent of the 15 sports categories, Norway rakes in its medals by dominating cross-country skiing. "In Sochi, [Norway] won 21 of its 26 medals in just three sports, all of which employ cross-country skiing: biathlon, Nordic combined — a sport that blends cross-country skiing and ski jumping — and cross-country skiing by itself," The Wall Street Journal writes. This year, Norway is expected to win 23 medals in cross-country skiing sports, plus snag some in ski jumping and alpine skiing.
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At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, host Russia won the most medals: 33. Thirteen of those medals were later stripped, and the nation has been banned from participating in 2018 due to the discovery of its doping program. Read more about the 2018 projections at The Wall Street Journal, and read predictions of who will win the gold, silver, and bronze at each event at Sports Illustrated.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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