Score card: The worst Olympians

India is the worst-performing Olympic country, with only 17 medals in its kitty so far, says Foreign Policy. A games participant since 1900, India ranks behind Nigeria, a country with an economy one-twentieth India’s size, in total medals. But we can take heart from the fact that there are others not so ahead of us.

VENEZUELA
Venezuelans have brought home only 10 medals, which is as many as Trinidad and Tobago, despite winning their first medal in 1952. Georgia, which first medaled at the 1996 Games, has outpaced the Bolivarian Republic. Venezuela has taken home only one gold, and the only Venezuelan woman to earn a medal is Adriana Carmona, who won the bronze for tae kwon do in Athens in 2004.

ISRAEL
The Jewish state won its first medal in 1992, and since then Israel remains tied with Uganda in the medal count, which stands at six. Of the other countries that first reached the podium in Barcelona, Israel has been outdone by Croatia, Slovenia, and Lithuania. All this is despite the fact that Israel has had a recognized Olympic committee since 1952.

TAIWAN
With 15 medals in all, Taiwan ranks with Mongolia, whose economy is one hundredth its size. Taiwan has half the medals of Ethiopia, which, like Taiwan, won its first medal at the 1960 Games. Taiwan’s Olympic status has always been contested. For years, China boycotted the games to protest Taiwan’s participation. In 1979, Communist Party leaders got the IOC to agree that Taiwan had never been a recognized Olympic country and that it would have to compete as “Chinese Taipei.” Taiwan must march under a special Olympic flag and may play only the “National Flag Anthem” on the few occasions when its athletes reach the podium.

PERU
Peru, with four medals, stands with Zimbabwe and Moldova, the biggest losers in Africa and Eastern Europe, respectively, as a top Olympic washout in its region. Peru took its first medal in 1948. Jamaica—whose economy is one-tenth of Peru’s—has won 10 times as many medals. Reason? Poverty and lack of infrastructure. Ten years ago, over half of Peru’s team was malnourished. In May 2008, President Alan García, proffered Lima as the host for 2016 Olympics, along with Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Prague, Doha and Tokyo. The deadline for applications had passed nine months earlier, and competing cities were already raising funds. García announced later that he’d like to play host in 2020.