Targets for Athlete Performance and the Sport System

Summer Olympics: These were the results of the medal count in Sydney 2000:
Rank Medals Nation Trends and Comments
1 st 97 USA has always finished 1 st /2 nd
2 nd 88 RUS as RUS or URS has always finished 1 st /2 nd
3 rd 59 CHN has finished 4 th , 4 th , 3 rd in last 3 Games
4 th 58 AUS has finished 9 th , 5 th , 4 th
5 th 56 GER has finished 3 rd , 3 rd , 5 th
6 th 38 FRA has finished 7 th , 6 th , 6 th
7 th 34 ITA has finished 13 th , 7 th , 7 th
8 th 29 CUB has finished 5 th , 9 th , 8 th
9 th 28 GBR Projected to improve to top 8
10 th 28 KOR
11 th 25 NED
12 th 25 ROM
13 th 23 UKR
14 th 18 JPN
15 th 17 HUN
16 th 17 BLR
17 th 14 POL
18 th 14 CAN
19 th 13 BUL
20th 13 GRE
21st 12 SWE
Assuming the same number of events (300) in future games, it can be assumed that the
current top 3 nations (USA, RUS, CHN) will remain the Top 3 in the foreseeable future, with CHN
likely narrowing the gap if not overtaking RUS as a result of hosting the 2008 Games. The next 2
nations (AUS and GER) will likely remain in the 50+ medals range; given their strong position in
several large multiple event sports, and their strong sport funding and system.
Canada won 14 medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics (ranked 17 th ), but will need to double
this to 28 medals to place in the Top 8 in the medals count at the 2012 Olympics. It is predicted
that 40 medals will result in a Top 6 placing and 60 medals will be needed to place in the Top 3 at
the 2012 Olympic Games. In summary:
• An 8 th place finish in 2012 will likely require a target of 30 medals, assuming 300 events
• A 6 th place finish in 2012 will likely require a target of 40 medals, assuming 300 events
The performance objective for Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games could be indicated by
the following achievements at the 2008 Olympic Games in China:
Measure Sydney Athens Beijing 2012
2000 2004 2008
Medals 14 14 20-25 30
Top 8’s 57 50-60 65-75 90-100
Athlete Performance and Sport System Targets, Evaluation, and Investment Page 22