ABSTRACT
The growth of a host nation’s sports programs and facilitates leading up to the hosted Games are discussed along with the ensuing physical, psychological and tactical enhancement those activities provide to that nation’s athletes’ performances. The strength of numbers resulting from host nation automatic qualification play an important part in host nation advantage, so much so, that the first five hosts won the most medals in an era when travel was difficult for potential visiting nations. From tables of the top two national medal winners for both Summer and Winter Games, top nations over certain periods, top nations overall and the success of host nations are evaluated and compared. Tables are presented showing the medal progression of host nations from eight years before hosting through eight years after. The average medals gained from eight years before through hosting are compared for Summer and Winter Olympic hosts, and the most successful hosts are identified. Another advantage for host nations was to select non-medal demonstration sports through 1992 and is now to select medal sports to be added for hosted Games starting with 2020 (now 2021). Some of those were new, contemporary sports that expanded the scope of the Games. Other sports were for entertainment value. In summary, we learn that host nations have gained medals by their developmental efforts and have kept the Games current and exciting by adding sports to the program.
