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arXiv · 2602.24004

The Best Metal-Grabbing Games Ever: How a Tiny Nation Won the Most Medals (By Far)

Nils Lid Hjort
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Abstract

For three Winter Olympics in a row, tiny nation Norway has out-medalled everyone else, in 2026 winning 18 golds, 12 silvers, 11 bronzes, i.e.~41 medals, compared to e.g.~12 + 12 + 9 = 33 for the USA, 10 + 6 + 14 = 30 for home team Italy, 8 + 10 + 7 = 26 for powerhouse Germany, etc. Never before have we [pluralis proudiensis] or anyone else won as many as 41 medals at a Winter Olympics. But how impressive is this, really, when we factor in that the number of events has increased so drastically?

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Nils Lid Hjort. 2026-02-27. The Best Metal-Grabbing Games Ever: How a Tiny Nation Won the Most Medals (By Far). https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.24004

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