(08-20-2016, 08:09 PM)Punchwood Wrote:

(08-20-2016, 08:03 PM)Resentine Wrote: Does it really make the statement any less true? Russia has half our population and the 1/9th of our GDP yet they usually do just as well.

Have you been living under a rock? Russia does well because it cheats, at state level. Look at the top 10 in the medal table right now They all happen to be developed nations, rich nations and highly populated nations

And Russia's not alone in it's cheating. There have been many accounts of all sorts of medal winners cheating, ever since the Olympics started. My bet with all of us is : We all cheat. At least a good majority of the countries on top do. we just haven't been caught yet. Or we've just been willingly ignored. Russia's just the biggest "bust" in a long time, which is why it was all over the news.

The IOC is just as corrupt as their pals in FIFA, I mean, hell, they let Rio keep the Olympics despite the political crisis, the crime rate, the protests in the streets. They honestly don't care. They just like all the money that keeps rolling in from the sponsors.

http://time.com/4446989/rio-2016-olympic...rug-cheat/

Maybe it is the GDP stuff, maybe that's why we can afford to do it. But honestly, this last year has made me rather annoyed about international sports. It needs serious reform that it won't get, at least not without serious pushing.

Still, either way, none of what you said changes the term "Olympic Juggernaut". Sure, The US has one of the largest populations in the world, sure it does have the largest economy. None of that disagrees with the fact that the US is an Olympic Juggernaut. It just says we're a world juggernaut. Some could say we're a "Superpower", but, that term is just so 1980's.