During the first Olympiad in Athens in 1896, first place winners were awarded a silver medal, a crown of olive branches, and a diploma. Those in second place were given a bronze medal, a crown of laurel, and a diploma. For the first time at the third Olympiad in St. Louis in 1904, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for the first, second, and third place, respectively.
| 2012 Olympics Medals Table | ||||
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| United States of America | 46 | 29 | 29 | 104 |
| People's Republic of China | 38 | 27 | 23 | 88 |
| Great Britain | 29 | 17 | 19 | 65 |
| Russian Federation | 24 | 26 | 32 | 82 |
| Republic of Korea | 13 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Germany | 11 | 19 | 14 | 44 |
| France | 11 | 11 | 12 | 34 |
| Italy | 8 | 9 | 11 | 28 |
| Hungary | 8 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| Australia | 7 | 16 | 12 | 35 |
| Japan | 7 | 14 | 17 | 38 |
| Kazakhstan | 7 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
| Ukraine | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| Cuba | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 |
| Islamic Republic of Iran | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Jamaica | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Czech Republic | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Spain | 3 | 10 | 4 | 17 |
| Brazil | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 |
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Ethiopia | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Belarus | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| Romania | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 |
| Kenya | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Denmark | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Poland | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Azerbaijan | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| Turkey | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Norway | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Canada | 1 | 5 | 12 | 18 |
| Sweden | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| Colombia | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Mexico | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Georgia | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Slovenia | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Argentina | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Tunisia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Latvia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Algeria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Uganda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grenada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Venezuela | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| India | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Mongolia | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Thailand | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Egypt | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Slovakia | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Finland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Armenia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Belgium | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Estonia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Malaysia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Taipei (Chinese Taipei) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Indonesia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cyprus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gabon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Montenegro | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Botswana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Republic of Moldova | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Greece | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Qatar | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Singapore | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kuwait | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tajikistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hong Kong, China | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Afghanistan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Morocco | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bahrain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 Olympic Medals Count | |||
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| China | 51 | 21 | 28 |
| United States | 36 | 38 | 36 |
| Russia | 23 | 21 | 28 |
| Great Britain | 19 | 13 | 15 |
| Germany | 16 | 10 | 15 |
| Australia | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| South Korea | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Japan | 9 | 6 | 10 |
| Italy | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| France | 7 | 16 | 17 |
| Ukraine | 7 | 5 | 15 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 5 | 4 |
ACOD~20120802
Last updated on : August 03,2012
