The Olympic Games is undoubtedly the greatest sporting event in the world, with over 200 countries competing for success. This important new study of the Olympics investigates why some countries are more successful than others. It addresses the factors that determine a country's failure or success and discusses the theoretical concepts that explain why national sporting achievement has become a policy priority around the globe.

Danyel Reiche is an Associate Professor for Comparative Politics at the American University of Beirut and a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard University Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS). He has also worked as a visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Services, Georgetown University, USA, and as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, most recently in European Sports Management Quarterly, International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, Journal of Energy Policy, Sport in Society, Soccer & Society, and Third World Quarterly

1. Introduction 2. Definition of Success 3. Olympic Targets 4. Motives 5. Wealth 6. Population Size 7. Geography 8. Ideology 9. Promotion of Women 10. Institutionalization 11. Specialization 12. Early Learning 13. Naturalization 14. Home Advantage 15. Conclusion