I'm sure you've heard of a lot of people from smaller countries complaining that population highly effects the amount of medals a nation can win. They are partially correct, but usually leave out the fact that a high amount of wealth is needed also. I have put together the following spreadsheets on both summer and winter Olympics that shows just how much wealth and population effect the medal tables (and it's a lot). I have included videos with extra commentary also if you're interested. By the way, I am not the only researcher that has pointed this out, but it still not common knowledge yet (even though it should be common sense). Summer Olympics (VIDEO) Winter Olympics (VIDEO)