Liechtenstein is the smallest country in the world by both area and population to have won Olympic medals. Athletes from Liechtenstein have won a total of ten medals, all in alpine skiing. It is the only country to have won medals at the Winter, but not Summer, Olympic Games.
Modern pentathlon has been in the Olympics since 1912, and still the U.S has never won a gold.
Indonesia and Monaco. The flags for these two countries are almost identical—two horizontal stripes, red over white—but Indonesia's is longer. Both flags date back hundreds of years.
Each Olympic gold medal is made up of 210g of silver and is coated with 6g of 24 carat gold. The bronze medals are made of copper, zinc, tin, and a very small amount of silver.
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Total |
|---|
| Athletics | 4 | 7 |
| Swimming | 3 | 4 |
| Boxing | 2 | 16 |
| Sailing | 0 | 2 |
The BOA state that there "is only one Olympic team from Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Team GB. The individual sports join to become Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team."
There is only one Olympic team from Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Team GB. There is not an Olympic swimming team or Olympic rowing team. The individual sports join to become Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team.
Hong Kong is represented separately at the Olympics by its own choice (for any gold medal ceremony the Hong Kong SAR flag is raised and the PRC national anthem is played, even on situations where athletes from China won silver or bronze medal, resulting in Hong Kong SAR flag flying above that of China).
| Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics |
|---|
| Flag bearer | Paddy Barnes (opening) Gary O'Donovan (closing) |
| Medals Ranked 62nd | Gold 0 Silver 2 Bronze 0 Total 2 |
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) |
| 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 |
But, if they perform well, they can bring home some cash. Many countries reward medalists with bonus money. U.S. Olympians, for example, will earn $37,500 for each gold medal they win this year, $22,500 for each silver and $15,000 for each bronze. Silver medalists earn a cool $500,000 and bronze medalists get $250,000.
A gold medal from the PyeongChang Olympics is only worth about $550 to $600, while a silver medal is valued around $300 to $350, according to the Tax Institute at H&R Block. But those are high-priced commodities compared to the bronze PyeongChang medal which is worth only about $4 to $5.
While the UK does not offer specific medal bonuses, it does devote £125 million ($162 million USD) of government and lottery funds to Olympic and Paralympic sports each year, some of which goes to annual athlete stipends. UK Olympic medalists get a stipend of $36,000 USD per year to train and compete.
In fact, the U.S. is one of just three countries that do not provide government funding for their Olympic program. Even past Olympian champions often have to struggle to pay to continue their training.
Why Olympians Bite Their MedalsHere's the deal: Because gold is softer and more malleable than other metals, one way to determine whether or not something is real gold is by biting into it — if it's authentic, your teeth will leave an indentation.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Michael Phelps is worth approximately $80 million.
The payoffAnd Olympic medalists win prize money from the U.S. Olympic Committee. At the 2018 Games, U.S. athletes will earn $37,500 for each gold medal, $22,500 for each silver and $15,000 for each bronze — a 50% increase from what winning athletes earned at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Athletes will be paid $1000 per World Youth Record, $2000 per World Junior Record, and $5000 per Senior World Record. Payments are made on the final record, capped at $15,000 per meet, and are to be made for both the individual lift and in the total.
