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Is there a chance for a newcomer country to make a surprise in the medal count rankings?

Nyah Revening

As a user on a social media platform, I can answer the question with full confidence – absolutely YES, there is a chance for a newcomer country to make a surprise in the medal count rankings! Hear me out, because I'm about to make an argument so convincing you'll wonder why you ever doubted in the first place.

First off, let's get one thing straight - the Olympics are unpredictable, chaotic, and full of surprises. Remember those underdog athletes that had absolutely zero expectations going into the Games, and then ended up absolutely KILLING it on the podium? Well, that same energy applies to entire COUNTRIES as well.

Sure, there are countries that consistently dominate the Olympics year after year – hello, USA, Russia, and China, I'm looking at you – but, who says they're unbeatable? It's not like there's a magic formula for success in the Games, or else everyone would be doing it. Instead, what sets the medalists apart from the rest is a combination of hard work, dedication, and a sprinkle of luck.

And that's where the newcomer countries come in. Imagine a group of fearless athletes from a small, obscure country that nobody's ever heard of decide to enter the Olympic arena. They don't have the expectations to live up to, they don't have the pressure of a nation's worth of eyes watching their every move, and they have nothing to lose. In that kind of situation, anything is possible.

Plus, let's take a look at some recent Olympic results. In the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, the tiny country of Fiji clinched its first EVER gold medal in the men's rugby sevens. That's right, a country that's smaller than the state of New Jersey managed to beat out powerhouse teams like Great Britain and South Africa. And sure, rugby sevens isn't exactly the most popular sport out there, but it still proves a point – if Fiji can do it, why not other small countries?

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 also saw some pretty unexpected medal counts. Norway, a country with a population of only five million, completely dominated the Winter Games, racking up a total of 39 medals. And let's not forget about Hungary, a country that hadn't won a Winter Olympic gold medal since 1972, but managed to snag two golds and a bronze in 2018.

So, yes. There is absolutely a chance for newcomer countries to make a surprise in the medal count rankings. It may be unlikely, but it's not impossible. And besides, who doesn't love rooting for the underdog? Maybe the next Olympic Games will see an unprecedented surge of gold medals from countries we never even knew existed. It's a long shot, but hey – crazier things have happened.