With a little kelp from my friends? Understanding individual and team success in the Summer Olympics

Abstract

Objective This paper investigates the determinants of Olympic success, examining why some countries excel in individual sports while others perform better in team sports. We propose three explanations: (1) a multiplicative effect, where success in individual sports boosts team sport performance; (2) the influence of collectivist cultures, which favor team sports; and (3) a contingent perspective, where economic development and population size enhance the effects of collectivism.

Methods We use data from three Summer Olympic Games (2016-2024): Rio de Janeiro (2016), Tokyo (2021), and Paris (2024), and run ordinary least squares regressions to test the hypotheses.

Results Economic development and population size are stronger predictors of success in sports with more talented participants. Collectivism boosts team sports performance in economically developed, highly populated countries, with minimal effect in less developed countries.

Conclusion The findings offer policy insights for governments to optimize Olympic preparation strategies and improve medal chances.