Charting the World through an Olympic Lens

No matter how much some would like to think that sports should stand apart from politics and economics, this New York Times chart mapping summer Olympic medals paints a fluid picture of how the world has changed over the last century.  Clicking between the years on the map presents the viewer with a story of morphing politics, increasing opportunities, and mounting challenges.  Here are a few things to try out as you interact with the chart:

1) Compare the first three years listed on the chart (1896, 1900, 1904) with the last three (1996, 2000, 2004).  What looks like a random arrangement of circles in the former set transforms into a discernible map of the world in the latter.

2) Look again at the most recent years.  While the graph does look much more like a map, it is still greatly disproportional to the actual landmasses and the populations who live in each continent.  Look at Europe (most of the green) in comparison to Africa and Latin America.  Europe is only a third of Africa’s size, but the “map” of Olympic medals would not tell you that.

3) Start at 1974 to get a reference point.  Then, click between the 1980 Games in Moscow and 1984 Games in Los Angeles, and watch the world transform.  Unlike other changes across years, which can be seen as functions of economic opportunity, the 1980-1984 is a clear portrayal of the politics of the day.

4) Watch the Cold War from an Olympic stadium seat.  As you click through the Cold War years, watch the Soviet Union and the severed Germany as they grow.  Then, watch the fallout of the war and the emergence of the post-Soviet satellite states.

5) Also, pay attention to this year’s host, China, which does not even jump onto the map until 1984.  Clicking through the years and watching the Chinese circle begin to expand, one cannot help but speculate as to what this year’s circle will look like, especially considering the Chinese approach to the 2008 Games.

While a chart mapping Olympic medals is not a direct indicator of economic or political might, it does indirectly tell us something of the way the world worked and looked throughout the last century.  Boycotts and even the names of participating states tell us about the political environment.  Numbers of metals, while partially based on talent, also reflect the availability of resources within a state.

Not every state has the human or financial capital available to invest in Olympian training and travel expenses, but today, more and more regions and states are represented in Olympic wins.  This portrays a world where the playing field is becoming increasingly even, though the disproportional representation of wins reminds us that it is not yet entirely flat.