moldovanmickey

So there we have it. The final hooter has just sounded at the end of the men's basketball final, the 306th and final event of the games of the 31st Olympiad- an inevitable eight points to the USA. Tanzania sneaked some points in the men's marathon to make it 120 scoring countries, including the Independent Olympic Athletes. Barring resolution of a couple of drugs disqualifications and any new ones coming to light, here are the final results. 1 USA 1174.33 2 China 745.00 3 Great Britain 694.50 4 Russia 546.50 5 Germany 498.50 6 France 464.00 7 Australia 415.00 8 Japan 399.50 9 Italy 376.00 10 Canada 283.00 11 Brazil 269.50 12 Netherlands 253.00 13 Spain 229.33 14 Korea, Rep 226.00 15 New Zealand 204.00 16 Ukraine 186.50 17 Hungary 165.00 18 Poland 154.50 19 Kazakhstan 149.50 20 Azerbaijan 143.50 21 Cuba 136.50 22 Denmark 134.00 23 Kenya 133.50 24 Belarus 128.50 25 Sweden 126.50 26 Uzbekistan 113.00 27 Czech Republic 109.50 28 Jamaica 107.00 29 South Africa 105.50 30 Colombia 102.00 31 Switzerland 97.50 32 Croatia 94.00 33 Mexico 89.50 34 Belgium 81.50 35 Iran 73.50 36 Turkey 73.00 37 Ethiopia 72.00 38 Georgia 68.00 39 Korea, DPR 67.50 40 Thailand 64.50 41 Serbia 62.00 42 Greece 61.00 43 Romania 59.50 44 Egypt 53.50 45 Argentina 52.33 46 Slovakia 52.00 47 Slovenia 47.00 48 Armenia 43.50 49 Chinese Taipei 40.50 50 Malaysia 40.50 = Venezuela 40.50 52 India 39.50 53 Portugal 38.00 = Lithuania 38.00 55 Ireland 37.50 56 Austria 36.00 57 Bulgaria 35.00 58 Indonesia 34.00 59 Estonia 32.50 60 Mongolia 31.00 61 Norway 29.50 62 Tunisia 26.50 = Cote d'Ivoire 26.50 = Algeria 26.50 65 Israel 26.00 66 Trinidad & Tobago 24.50 67 Morocco 23.50 68 Bahrain 21.00 69 Vietnam 19.00 70 Singapore 18.00 = Bahamas 18.00 72 Qatar 17.50 73 Moldova 17.00 74 Dominican Rep 16.00 = Latvia 16.00 = Nigeria 16.00 77 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 78 Finland 13.50 79 Ecuador 12.00 80 Hong Kong, China 11.00 = Puerto Rico 11.00 82 Jordan 10.50 83 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 85 Kyrgyzstan 8.50 = Philippines 8.50 87 Kosovo 8.00 = Tajikistan 8.00 = Botswana 8.00 = Chile 8.00 91 Niger 7.00 = Burundi 7.00 93 Cyprus 6.00 = Eritrea 6.00 95 United Arab Emirates 5.50 96 Congo 5.00 = Albania 5.00 = Montenegro 5.00 = Honduras 5.00 = Djibouti 5.00 = Uganda 5.00 102 Mauritius 4.00 = Tanzania 4.00 104 Cameroon 3.50 105 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 = St Lucia 3.00 110 Guyana 2.00 = Panama 2.00 112 Peru 1.50 = Haiti 1.50 = Nepal 1.50 115 Samoa 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00 = Senegal 1.00 = Angola 1.00 = Bermuda 1.00 121 Afghanistan 0.00 = American Samoa 0.00 = Andorra 0.00 = Antigua & Barbuda 0.00 = Aruba 0.00 = Bangladesh 0.00 = Barbados 0.00 = Belize 0.00 = Benin 0.00 = Bhutan 0.00 = Bolivia 0.00 = Bosnia & Herzegovina 0.00 = British Virgin Islands 0.00 = Brunei 0.00 = Burkina Faso 0.00 = Cambodia 0.00 = Cape Verde 0.00 = Cayman Islands 0.00 = Central African Rep. 0.00 = Chad 0.00 = Comoros 0.00 = Congo, Dem Rep 0.00 = Cook Islands 0.00 = Costa Rica 0.00 = Dominica 0.00 = El Salvador 0.00 = Equatorial Guinea 0.00 = FS Micronesia 0.00 = Gabon 0.00 = Ghana 0.00 = Guam 0.00 = Guinea 0.00 = Guinea-Bissau 0.00 = Iraq 0.00 = Kiribati 0.00 = Laos 0.00 = Lebanon 0.00 = Lesotho 0.00 = Liberia 0.00 = Libya 0.00 = Liechtenstein 0.00 = Luxembourg 0.00 = Macedonia, FYR 0.00 = Madagascar 0.00 = Malawi 0.00 = Maldives 0.00 = Mali 0.00 = Malta 0.00 = Marshall Islands 0.00 = Mauritania 0.00 = Monaco 0.00 = Mozambique 0.00 = Myanmar 0.00 = Namibia 0.00 = Nauru 0.00 = Nicaragua 0.00 = Oman 0.00 = Pakistan 0.00 = Palau 0.00 = Palestine 0.00 = Paraguay 0.00 = Rwanda 0.00 = San Marino 0.00 = Sao Tome & Principe 0.00 = Saudi Arabia 0.00 = Seychelles 0.00 = Sierra Leone 0.00 = Solomon Islands 0.00 = Somalia 0.00 = South Sudan 0.00 = Sri Lanka 0.00 = St Kitts & Nevis 0.00 = St Vincent 0.00 = Sudan 0.00 = Suriname 0.00 = Swaziland 0.00 = The Gambia 0.00 = Timor-Leste 0.00 = Togo 0.00 = Tonga 0.00 = Turkmenistan 0.00 = Tuvalu 0.00 = US Virgin Islands 0.00 = Vanuatu 0.00 = Yemen 0.00 = Zambia 0.00 = Refugee Olympians 0.00

Incredibly, Great Britain will finish second in the Medals Table. China only have competitors in three events on the final day and the chances of them winning two Gold Medals from the Men's Marathon, the 65kg Men's Freestyle Wrestling and the Men's Mountain Bike (their entrant is ranked 322 in the world) are so unlikely it is not worth worrying about. Even then, GB has a boxer in the final of the Superheavyweight class and if he wins, China would have to win all three of them to finish second due to GB winning more silvers. It is hard to get my head around this prospect, and I have hilariously managed to produce a ranking list that downplays my own country's performance. Equally, it is not possible for GB to catch China in the points table. Nine new entries today- there are unlikely to be any tomorrow- Bermuda, Montenegro, Honduras, St Lucia, Burundi, Angola, Nepal, Djibouti and Niger, winning only their second ever medal, 44 years after the Munich games. 1 USA 1129.33 2 China 731.50 3 Great Britain 685.00 4 Russia 510.50 5 Germany 487.00 6 France 448.00 7 Australia 402.00 8 Japan 398.50 9 Italy 356.50 10 Canada 280.50 11 Brazil 257.00 12 Netherlands 246.00 13 Korea, Rep 226.00 14 Spain 210.33 15 New Zealand 204.00 16 Ukraine 181.00 17 Hungary 165.00 18 Poland 147.00 19 Kazakhstan 137.50 20 Cuba 127.00 21 Sweden 126.50 22 Denmark 126.00 23 Kenya 125.50 24 Belarus 124.50 25 Azerbaijan 120.00 26 Jamaica 107.00 27 South Africa 105.50 28 Czech Republic 102.50 29 Colombia 95.50 30 Mexico 89.50 31 Switzerland 84.50 32 Uzbekistan 83.50 33 Belgium 81.50 34 Croatia 78.50 35 Iran 71.00 36 Turkey 70.50 37 Korea, DPR 67.50 38 Ethiopia 65.00 39 Thailand 64.50 = Georgia 64.50 41 Greece 61.00 42 Serbia 55.00 43 Romania 54.00 44 Egypt 53.50 45 Slovakia 52.00 46 Argentina 48.83 47 Slovenia 44.00 48 Armenia 43.50 49 Chinese Taipei 40.50 = Malaysia 40.50 51 India 39.50 52 Portugal 38.00 53 Ireland 37.50 54 Austria 36.00 = Lithuania 36.00 56 Venezuela 35.00 57 Indonesia 34.00 58 Estonia 32.50 59 Norway 29.50 60 Bulgaria 28.00 61 Mongolia 27.50 62 Tunisia 26.50 = Cote d'Ivoire 26.50 64 Trinidad & Tobago 24.50 = Algeria 24.00 66 Israel 23.00 67 Bahrain 21.00 = Morocco 21.00 69 Vietnam 19.00 70 Singapore 18.00 = Bahamas 18.00 72 Moldova 17.00 73 Qatar 16.50 74 Dominican Rep 16.00 = Latvia 16.00 76 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 77 Finland 13.50 = Nigeria 13.50 79 Ecuador 12.00 80 Hong Kong, China 11.00 = Puerto Rico 11.00 82 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 84 Kyrgyzstan 8.50 = Philippines 8.50 86 Kosovo 8.00 = Jordan 8.00 = Tajikistan 8.00 = Botswana 8.00 = Chile 8.00 91 Niger 7.00 = Burundi 7.00 93 Cyprus 6.00 94 UAE 5.50 95 Congo 5.00 = Albania 5.00 = Montenegro 5.00 = Honduras 5.00 = Djibouti 5.00 100 Mauritius 4.00 = Uganda 4.00 102 Cameroon 3.50 103 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 = St Lucia 3.00 108 Guyana 2.00 = Panama 2.00 110 Peru 1.50 = Haiti 1.50 = Nepal 1.50 113 Samoa 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00 = Senegal 1.00 = Angola 1.00 = Bermuda 1.00

I'm beginning to feel as though I'm being held hostage by my TV. I know I've been betraying my national bias but today's heroics by the British women's hockey team and Nick Skelton have left me open-mouthed in admiration. Here's the position at the end of day 14, barring any reinstatements of relay disqualifications. Canada are back in the Top 10. Tajikistan and Haiti gain their first, and in all probability only points. 1 USA 1031.83 2 China 677.50 3 Great Britain 623.50 4 Russia 458.50 5 Germany 430.00 6 France 402.50 7 Japan 391.00 8 Australia 385.00 9 Italy 336.50 10 Canada 245.00 11 Netherlands 236.00 12 Brazil 228.00 13 Korea, Rep 194.50 14 New Zealand 185.00 15 Spain 177.83 16 Ukraine 146.50 17 Hungary 146.00 18 Kazakhstan 131.00 = Poland 131.00 20 Denmark 117.00 21 Sweden 115.00 22 Kenya 109.50 23 Belarus 104.00 24 Cuba 101.50 25 Azerbaijan 101.00 26 South Africa 97.50 27 Jamaica 93.00 28 Colombia 88.00 29 Czech Republic 87.50 30 Belgium 76.50 31 Switzerland 73.50 32 Korea, DPR 67.50 33 Uzbekistan 66.50 = Croatia 65.50 35 Mexico 64.00 36 Thailand 62.00 = Iran 62.00 38 Georgia 59.00 = Ethiopia 59.00 40 Greece 58.00 41 Romania 54.00 42 Turkey 52.50 43 Egypt 51.00 44 Argentina 46.33 45 Slovakia 45.00 46 Slovenia 44.00 47 Armenia 40.00 48 Chinese Taipei 38.00 49 Austria 36.00 = Lithuania 36.00 51 India 34.50 = Indonesia 34.00 = Ireland 34.00 54 Malaysia 33.50 55 Serbia 33.00 56 Estonia 32.50 57 Portugal 32.00 58 Venezuela 31.50 59 Tunisia 26.50 = Cote d'Ivoire 26.50 61 Mongolia 25.00 62 Norway 23.50 63 Israel 23.00 64 Vietnam 19.00 = Bahrain 19.00 66 Trinidad & Tobago 18.50 67 Singapore 18.00 = Bulgaria 18.00 69 Algeria 17.00 = Moldova 17.00 71 Qatar 16.50 72 Dominican Rep 16.00 73 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 74 Morocco 13.50 75 Bahamas 12.00 = Latvia 12.00 = Ecuador 12.00 78 Hong Kong, China 11.00 79 Finland 10.50 80 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 = Puerto Rico 9.00 83 Kyrgyzstan 8.50 84 Kosovo 8.00 = Jordan 8.00 = Tajikistan 8.00 87 Nigeria 7.50 88 Philippines 7.00 89 Cyprus 6.00 90 UAE 5.50 91 Congo 5.00 = Albania 5.00 93 Botswana 4.00 = Chile 4.00 = Mauritius 4.00 96 Cameroon 3.50 97 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 102 Guyana 2.00 = Panama 2.00 104 Peru 1.50 = Haiti 1.50 106 Samoa 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00 = Senegal 1.00

The first potential drugs disqualifications have been announced- Bronze medallists for a Kyrgyz weightlifter and an erm, Moldovan canoeist are likely to be sanctioned as well as a a Chinese swimmer. I will alter the totals when the official website results are changed. I was rooting for the Congolese shot putter who agonisingly came fourth today, but there was a first Olympic medal for Jordan. Panama, Senegal and Cameroon also broke their ducks in terms of points, and only one point separates the Netherlands, Canada and Brazil. The gap between Great Britain and China is now down to 30.5 points. My sense is that China will end above GB both in this table and in the Medals Table by the end of the games. I sure hope I am wrong, though! The first fourteen places remained unchanged from yesterday. 1 USA 962.83 2 China 608.00 3 Great Britain 577.50 4 Russia 425.50 5 Germany 405.50 6 France 373.50 7 Japan 352.00 8 Australia 350.50 9 Italy 317.00 10 Netherlands 215.00 11 Canada 214.50 12 Brazil 214.00 13 Korea, Rep 178.00 14 New Zealand 174.00 15 Spain 163.83 16 Hungary 139.00 17 Ukraine 138.50 18 Kazakhstan 127.50 19 Denmark 117.00 20 Poland 115.50 21 Sweden 101.00 22 South Africa 97.50 23 Cuba 96.50 24 Belarus 95.00 25 Kenya 89.50 26 Czech Republic 87.50 27 Azerbaijan 78.50 28 Jamaica 78.00 29 Belgium 73.50 30 Colombia 73.00 31 Korea, DPR 66.50 32 Switzerland 65.50 = Croatia 65.50 34 Uzbekistan 63.00 35 Thailand 59.50 36 Romania 54.00 37 Georgia 51.00 = Mexico 51.00 39 Greece 50.00 40 Ethiopia 49.00 = Egypt 49.00 42 Iran 48.50 43 Slovenia 44.00 44 Argentina 43.33 45 Armenia 40.00 46 Turkey 38.50 47 Austria 36.00 = Lithuania 36.00 49 Chinese Taipei 34.50 50 Indonesia 34.00 51 Slovakia 33.00 = Serbia 33.00 53 Estonia 32.50 54 Portugal 29.00 55 India 27.50 56 Malaysia 26.50 = Ireland 26.50 = Venezuela 25.50 = Mongolia 25.00 60 Israel 23.00 61 Tunisia 21.00 62 Norway 19.50 63 Vietnam 19.00 = Bahrain 19.00 65 Singapore 18.00 66 Algeria 17.00 67 Moldova 16.00 = Dominican Rep 16.00 69 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 70 Kyrgyzstan 14.50 = Bulgaria 14.50 72 Morocco 13.50 73 Trinidad & Tobago 13.00 = Cote d'Ivoire 13.00 75 Bahamas 12.00 = Latvia 12.00 = Ecuador 12.00 78 Hong Kong, China 11.00 79 Qatar 10.50 80 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 = Puerto Rico 9.00 83 Kosovo 8.00 = Jordan 8.00 85 Philippines 7.00 86 Nigeria 6.50 87 Cyprus 6.00 88 UAE 5.50 89 Congo 5.00 90 Albania 4.00 = Botswana 4.00 = Chile 4.00 = Mauritius 4.00 = Finland 4.00 95 Cameroon 3.50 96 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 101 Guyana 2.00 = Panama 2.00 103 Peru 1.50 104 Samoa 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00 = Senegal 1.00

Australia seem to be on a downward trend since the end of the swimming; Japan move up two places after a great day in the women's wrestling and Canada are now scrapping with the hosts to remain in 11th, but it's a three-way battle between them and the Dutch for a place in the top ten . Peru and Morocco, two of the the pointless 20 million+ countries mentioned a few days ago gain their first points, joining Algeria. Kenya climb to 23rd 1 USA 892.33 2 China 569.00 3 Great Britain 520.00 4 Russia 401.50 5 Germany 369.50 6 France 335.00 7 Japan 324.00 8 Australia 320.50 9 Italy 300.50 10 Netherlands 190.50 11 Canada 183.50 12 Brazil 182.00 13 Korea, Rep 164.00 14 New Zealand 138.00 15 Ukraine 130.50 16 Spain 128.33 17 Hungary 124.00 18 Kazakhstan 108.00 19 Poland 101.00 20 Sweden 89.00 21 Cuba 85.50 22 Denmark 85.00 23 Kenya 80.50 24 South Africa 79.50 25 Czech Republic 76.50 26 Belarus 75.50 27 Colombia 73.00 28 Switzerland 65.50 29 Uzbekistan 63.00 30 Korea, DPR 62.50 = Azerbaijan 62.50 32 Thailand 58.00 33 Jamaica 56.00 34 Belgium 55.50 35 Romania 54.00 36 Croatia 49.50 37 Ethiopia 49.00 38 Georgia 47.00 39 Mexico 46.00 40 Greece 44.00 41 Iran 43.00 42 Egypt 42.00 43 Slovenia 41.00 44 Armenia 40.00 45 Chinese Taipei 34.50 46 Argentina 33.33 47 Austria 32.50 48 Slovakia 32.00 49 Indonesia 31.50 50 Estonia 29.50 51 Turkey 27.00 52 India 26.50 53 Lithuania 26.00 54 Mongolia 25.00 55 Malaysia 24.00 = Serbia 24.00 57 Israel 23.00 58 Ireland 21.50 59 Tunisia 21.00 60 Portugal 20.00 61 Norway 19.50 62 Vietnam 19.00 = Bahrain 19.00 64 Venezuela 18.50 65 Singapore 18.00 66 Moldova 16.00 = Dominican Rep 16.00 68 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 69 Kyrgyzstan 14.50 = Bulgaria 14.50 71 Trinidad & Tobago 13.00 = Cote d'Ivoire 13.00 73 Bahamas 12.00 = Morocco 12.00 75 Latvia 11.00 = Hong Kong, China 11.00 77 Algeria 10.50 78 Ecuador 9.50 79 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 81 Kosovo 8.00 = Puerto Rico 8.00 = Qatar 8.00 84 Philippines 7.00 85 Nigeria 6.50 86 Cyprus 6.00 87 United Arab Emirates 5.50 88 Albania 4.00 = Botswana 4.00 = Chile 4.00 = Mauritius 4.00 = Finland 4.00 93 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 98 Guyana 2.00 99 Peru 1.50 100 Samoa 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00

Oh, Canada! You have indeed been caught despite Derek Drouin's heroics in the High Jump. There is strength in depth that isn't reflected in the most commonly-used medals table, where Canada rest in 17th place. Their replacements, the Netherlands are 7th in the medals table, so are better at converting chances, it would seem, and with a population of17 million are easily the smallest country in the top 10. Finland have sailed into the points table, which pleasingly now has 101 countries as opposed to 76 in the Medals Table. Guyana, Syria and Guatemala also break their duck. I'm enjoying the sport (and the statistics, of course) but am somewhat depressed by the abysmal attendances at many venues. I understand the reasons for this but it looks terrible on TV. It just makes the happy memories of watching and attending London 2012 that more special. 1 USA 809.33 2 China 551.00 3 Great Britain 505.50 4 Russia 387.50 5 Germany 338.00 6 Australia 317.00 7 France 309.00 8 Italy 300.50 9 Japan 290.50 10 Netherlands 179.50 11 Canada 171.50 12 Brazil 166.00 13 Korea, Rep 143.00 14 New Zealand 138.00 15 Ukraine 130.50 16 Spain 124.83 17 Hungary 124.00 18 Poland 96.50 19 Kazakhstan 91.00 20 Denmark 85.00 21 Cuba 83.00 22 South Africa 79.50 = Sweden 79.50 24 Czech Republic 76.50 25 Belarus 75.50 26 Colombia 71.00 27 Kenya 69.50 28 Korea, DPR 62.50 29 Switzerland 60.00 30 Uzbekistan 56.00 31 Belgium 55.50 32 Romania 54.00 33 Croatia 49.50 34 Ethiopia 49.00 35 Jamaica 48.00 36 Georgia 47.00 37 Azerbaijan 46.50 38 Greece 44.00 39 Thailand 43.00 = Iran 43.00 41 Slovenia 41.00 42 Armenia 40.00 43 Mexico 39.00 44 Egypt 38.50 45 Chinese Taipei 34.50 46 Slovakia 32.00 47 Austria 30.00 48 Argentina 29.83 49 Estonia 26.50 50 Lithuania 26.00 51 Turkey 25.00 52 Israel 23.00 53 Mongolia 22.00 54 Indonesia 21.00 = India 21.00 56 Portugal 20.00 57 Norway 19.50 58 Vietnam 19.00 = Bahrain 19.00 = Ireland 19.00 61 Singapore 18.00 62 Malaysia 17.00 63 Venezuela 16.00 = Moldova 16.00 65 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 66 Tunisia 14.50 67 Kyrgyzstan 11.00 = Latvia 11.00 = Serbia 11.00 70 Dominican Rep 10.50 = Algeria 10.50 72 Trinidad & Tobago 10.00 73 Ecuador 9.50 74 Fiji 9.00 Grenada 9.00 Bahamas 9.00 77 Hong Kong, China 8.50 78 Kosovo 8.00 = Puerto Rico 8.00 = Cote d'Ivoire 8.00 = Bulgaria 8.00 = Qatar 8.00 83 Philippines 7.00 84 Cyprus 6.00 85 UAE 5.50 86 Albania 4.00 = Botswana 4.00 = Chile 4.00 = Mauritius 4.00 = Finland 4.00 91 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 96 Nigeria 2.50 97 Guyana 2.00 98 Samoa 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00 = Guatemala 1.00 = Syria 1.00

I can't seem to master the formatting of the table somehow, so apologies for this. I am relieved to report that Finland will indeed appear on the list- a woman boxer of theirs has reached her semi-final, so when her event ends, we can all sleep easy. Montenegro appears to be the only other remaining European country that can be assured to be on the list as their men's water polo team has reached the quarter finals. I hold out very little hope that Bosnia & Herzegovina and FYR Macedonia will manage a top eight finish and Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Monaco won't appear either unless I lump them together at the bottom of the list when the games end with the 70+ others that will score zero. Still, it's the taking part that counts..... Kenya and Jamaica inevitably climb up the table as the athletics programme gets into full swing, and the Netherlands appear to have a chance of breaking into the top ten. Great Britain have lost 6 points on China, who will win many points in Diving, Badminton and Table Tennis in the next few days. The British still have Cycling, Triathlon and Showjumping amongst other sports to call on, and divers other than Tom Daley... 1 USA 716.83 2 China 491.00 3 Great Britain 439.00 4 Russia 351.50 5 Australia 289.00 6 Germany 282.00 7 Italy 279.50 8 Japan 270.00 9 France 265.00 10 Canada 158.50 11 Netherlands 142.50 12 Korea, Rep 137.00 13 Brazil 133.00 14 Hungary 116.00 15 New Zealand 110.00 16 Spain 101.83 17 Ukraine 95.00 18 Kazakhstan 88.00 19 Poland 80.50 20 South Africa 79.50 21 Belarus 72.50 22 Denmark 72.00 23 Czech Republic 65.50 24 Sweden 65.00 25 Colombia 63.00 26 Kenya 61.50 27 Korea, DPR 60.00 28 Switzerland 57.00 29 Cuba 54.50 30 Uzbekistan 48.50 31 Romania 47.50 32 Belgium 44.50 33 Thailand 43.00 34 Ethiopia 41.00 35 Jamaica 40.00 36 Egypt 38.50 37 Iran 37.50 38 Mexico 37.00 = Greece 37.00 40 Chinese Taipei 34.50 41 Azerbaijan 32.50 42 Slovakia 31.00 43 Croatia 30.50 44 Slovenia 29.00 45 Georgia 27.50 46 Estonia 24.50 47 Israel 23.00 48 Lithuania 22.00 49 Argentina 21.83 50 Austria 21.50 51 Indonesia 21.00 = India 21.00 53 Norway 19.50 = Turkey 19.50 55 Vietnam 19.00 = Bahrain 19.00 57 Mongolia 16.50 58 Venezuela 16.00 59 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 60 Tunisia 14.50 61 Singapore 13.00 = Portugal 13.00 = Armenia 13.00 64 Malaysia 11.00 = Ireland 11.00 = Kyrgyzstan 11.00 = Latvia 11.00 68 Dominican Rep 10.50 69 Trinidad & Tobago 10.00 = Moldova 10.00 71 Ecuador 9.50 72 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 74 Kosovo 8.00 = Puerto Rico 8.00 = Cote d'Ivoire 8.00 = Bahamas 8.00 78 Philippines 7.00 = Algeria 7.00 80 Bulgaria 6.00 81 United Arab Emirates 5.50 82 Albania 4.00 = Botswana 4.00 = Chile 4.00 = Mauritius 4.00 86 Iceland 3.00 = Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 = Serbia 3.00 = Hong Kong, China 3.00 93 Nigeria 2.50 94 Samoa 1.00 = Qatar 1.00 = Cyprus 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00

These are great times to be a British Olympic fan. I don't suppose it will last but Great Britain now finds itself Second in the Medals table after nine days. The points table is not quite so spectacular for us but there is progress against the Chinese- the gap is down to 46, from 68.5 yesterday and 97 from the day before. Bahrain, Botswana and Grenada join the list, as does a second decimal place, thanks to three golfers contriving to share 8th place today. I'm beginning to wonder if Finland remembered to catch the plane to Rio... 1 USA 654.83 2 China 460.00 3 Great Britain 414.00 4 Russia 312.00 5 Australia 285.00 6 Japan 263.00 7 Italy 261.00 8 Germany 243.00 9 France 242.00 10 Canada 157.50 11 Korea, Rep 137.00 12 Netherlands 126.50 13 Hungary 112.50 14 New Zealand 109.00 15 Brazil 108.00 16 Spain 97.83 17 South Africa 79.50 18 Ukraine 78.00 19 Kazakhstan 75.00 20 Denmark 66.00 21 Belarus 65.00 22 Poland 63.00 23 Sweden 62.50 24 Czech Republic 60.00 25 Colombia 58.00 26 Switzerland 57.00 27 Korea, DPR 52.00 28 Belgium 43.50 29 Thailand 43.00 30 Cuba 41.00 31 Romania 40.50 32 Egypt 38.50 33 Mexico 37.00 = Ethiopia 37.00 35 Kenya 35.50 36 Chinese Taipei 34.50 37 Iran 32.50 38 Slovakia 31.00 = Jamaica 31.00 40 Croatia 30.50 41 Uzbekistan 30.00 42 Slovenia 29.00 43 Greece 28.00 44 Georgia 26.00 45 Azerbaijan 24.50 46 Israel 23.00 47 Lithuania 22.00 48 Austria 21.50 49 Indonesia 21.00 = Estonia 21.00 = India 21.00 52 Norway 19.50 53 Argentina 19.33 54 Vietnam 19.00 55 Mongolia 16.50 56 Venezuela 16.00 57 IOA (Kuwait) 15.00 58 Tunisia 14.50 59 Singapore 13.00 = Portugal 13.00 61 Turkey 12.50 62 Malaysia 11.00 = Ireland 11.00 = Kyrgyzstan 11.00 = Bahrain 11.00 66 Dominican Rep 10.50 67 Latvia 10.00 = Trinidad & Tobago 10.00 69 Ecuador 9.50 70 Fiji 9.00 = Grenada 9.00 72 Kosovo 8.00 = Puerto Rico 8.00 = Cote d'Ivoire 8.00 75 Philippines 7.00 76 Moldova 6.00 = Armenia 6.00 78 UAE 5.50 79 Albania 4.00 = Botswana 4.00 81 Iceland 3.00 82 Papua New Guinea 3.00 = Zimbabwe 3.00 = Uganda 3.00 = Uruguay 3.00 = Serbia 3.00 = Hong Kong, China 3.00 88 Bulgaria 2.50 = Nigeria 2.50 90 Chile 2.00 91 Mauritius 1.50 92 Samoa 1.00 = Qatar 1.00 = Cyprus 1.00 = Eritrea 1.00

Day 8 and we're half way through. I couldn't gain access to the site after close of play last night. I can only think that the IOC is trying to silence me .... Great Britain have made a little headway in an improbable effort to catch the Chinese. It's worth wondering at this point how many of the following countries with populations of over 20 million will feature on the list at the end of the games: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Myanmar, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Nepal, Mozambique, Ghana, Yemen, Angola, Madagascar, Cameroon and Sri Lanka. 1 USA 568.5 2 China 415.0 3 Great Britain 346.5 4 Australia 269.0 5 Russia 247.5 6 Japan 241.0 7 Italy 232.0 8 Germany 216.0 9 France 202.5 10 Canada 143.5 11 Korea, Rep 120.5 12 Netherlands 113.5 13 New Zealand 109.0 14 Hungary 103.0 15 Brazil 87.0 16 Spain 78.0 17 Ukraine 72.0 18 South Africa 67.5 19 Kazakhstan 64.5 20 Belarus 61.0 21 Denmark 59.0 22 Poland 58.0 23 Sweden 55.5 24 Colombia 43.0 = Czech Republic 43.0 26 Korea, DPR 42.0 27 Switzerland 41.0 28 Thailand 40.0 29 Belgium 38.5 30 Mexico 37.0 = Romania 37.0 32 Egypt 33.5 33 Chinese Taipei 32.0 34 Slovakia 31.0 35 Slovenia 29.0 36 Cuba 27.5 37 Croatia 27.0 = Iran 27.0 39 Georgia 26.0 = Ethiopia 26.0 41 Kenya 25.0 42 Greece 23.0 43 Lithuania 22.0 44 Austria 21.5 45 Indonesia 21.0 = Estonia 21.0 47 Vietnam 19.0 = Azerbaijan 19.0 49 Israel 17.0 50 Mongolia 16.5 51 Jamaica 16.0 52 IOA (Kuwait) 15.0 53 Tunisia 14.5 = Uzbekistan 14.5 55 Singapore 13.0 = Norway 13.0 57 Turkey 12.5 58 Argentina 12.0 59 Malaysia 11.0 = Ireland 11.0 = India 11.0 62 Dominican Rep 10.5 63 Portugal 10.0 = Latvia 10.0 65 Fiji 9.0 66 Kosovo 8.0 = Puerto Rico 8.0 68 Kyrgyzstan 7.5 69 Philippines 7.0 70 Ecuador 7.0 71 Moldova 6.0 72 United Arab Emirates 5.5 73 Trinidad & Tobago 5.0 = Cote d'Ivoire 5.0 75 Albania 4.0 = Armenia 4.0 77 Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 = Venezuela 3.0 = Zimbabwe 3.0 = Uganda 3.0 = Uruguay 3.0 83 Bulgaria 2.5 = Nigeria 2.5 85 Serbia 2.0 = Chile 2.0 = Hong Kong, China 2.0 88 Mauritius 1.5 89 Samoa 1.0 = Qatar 1.0 = Cyprus 1.0 = Eritrea 1.0

Great Britain becomes the fourth different country to claim 3rd spot, picking up 67 points today to Japan's 14.5. Second place must surely be beyond them. Singapore's first ever Gold medal propels them to 52nd, whilst the first day of the athletics puts traditional long-distance powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia joint 46th and 49th both courtesy of the same event- the women's 10 000m. No drugs disqualifications so far..... 1 USA 469.5 2 China 373.0 3 Great Britain 276.0 4 Japan 229.0 5 Australia 224.0 6 Russia 219.0 7 Italy 196.0 8 France 188.5 9 Germany 168.5 10 Canada 120.5 11 Korea, Rep 114.5 12 Hungary 100.0 13 Netherlands 89.5 14 Brazil 83.0 15 New Zealand 81.0 16 Spain 78.0 17 Kazakhstan 64.5 18 South Africa 60.5 19 Ukraine 50.5 20 Sweden 45.5 21 Colombia 43.0 22 Poland 42.0 = Korea, DPR 42.0 24 Denmark 41.0 25 Switzerland 37.0 26 Thailand 35.0 27 Mexico 34.0 = Belarus 34.0 29 Chinese Taipei 32.0 30 Slovakia 31.0 = Romania 31.0 32 Egypt 29.5 33 Slovenia 29.0 = Czech Republic 29.0 35 Georgia 26.0 36 Belgium 25.5 37 Greece 23.0 38 Indonesia 21.0 39 Croatia 20.0 40 Vietnam 19.0 = Azerbaijan 19.0 42 Cuba 18.5 43 Israel 17.0 = Iran 17.0 45 Mongolia 16.5 46 Lithuania 16.0 = Kenya 16.0 48 Austria 15.5 49 Ethiopia 15.0 50 Tunisia 14.5 = Uzbekistan 14.5 52 Singapore 13.0 53 Turkey 12.5 54 Estonia 12.0 = Argentina 12.0 = Norway 12.0 57 Malaysia 11.0 = Ireland 11.0 59 Dominican Rep 10.5 60 Portugal 10.0 61 India 9.0 = IOA (Kuwait) 9.0 = Fiji 9.0 64 Kosovo 8.0 65 Kyrgyzstan 7.5 66 Philippines 7.0 = Ecuador 7.0 68 Moldova 6.0 69 United Arab Emirates 5.5 70 Latvia 5.0 71 Albania 4.0 = Armenia 4.0 73 Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 = Venezuela 3.0 = Zimbabwe 3.0 77 Bulgaria 2.5 = Nigeria 2.5 79 Serbia 2.0 = Chile 2.0 = Trinidad & Tobago 2.0 82 Mauritius 1.5 83 Jamaica 1.0 = Samoa 1.0 = Qatar 1.0

Nigeria, the 7th most populous country in the world, makes its first entry onto the table- one of its 187 million inhabitants reached the quarter-finals in the men's table tennis. Sadly, it's not very likely that the 6th and 8th most populous, Pakistan (192 million, with no hockey teams qualifying this year), and Bangladesh (162 million with no Olympic medal ever) will feature on the table at all by the close of the games. Great Britain has displaced Russia from fourth place and Germany has now made the top ten, helped by winning two rowing and one shooting golds today. Venezuela and Norway also debut. 1 USA 368.5 2 China 296.5 3 Japan 214.5 4 Great Britain 209.0 5 Australia 187.0 6 Russia 185.0 7 Italy 147.5 8 France 142.5 9 Germany 133.5 10 Korea, Rep 94.0 11 Canada 90.5 12 Hungary 75.0 13 Brazil 66.5 14 Netherlands 60.5 15 Kazakhstan 59.5 16 New Zealand 57.0 17 Spain 49.5 18 Sweden 41.5 19 Ukraine 38.5 20 Colombia 38.0 21 Poland 37.0 22 Switzerland 35.0 23 Thailand 34.0 = Korea, DPR 34.0 = Mexico 34.0 = South Africa 34.0 27 Chinese Taipei 32.0 28 Slovakia 31.0 29 Slovenia 29.0 = Czech Republic 29.0 31 Egypt 27.5 32 Belgium 25.5 33 Georgia 24.0 = Denmark 24.0 35 Greece 22.0 36 Indonesia 21.0 37 Croatia 20.0 38 Vietnam 19.0 = Azerbaijan 19.0 40 Romania 17.0 41 Mongolia 16.5 42 Lithuania 15.0 43 Tunisia 13.0 = Austria 13.0 45 Belarus 12.0 = Estonia 12.0 47 Uzbekistan 11.0 = Malaysia 11.0 = Argentina 11.0 50 Dominican Rep 10.5 = Israel 10.5 52 Portugal 10.0 53 India 9.0 = IOA (Kuwait) 9.0 = Iran 9.0 = Fiji 9.0 57 Kosovo 8.0 = Cuba 8.0 59 Philippines 7.0 = Turkey 7.0 = Ecuador 7.0 62 Kyrgyzstan 6.0 = Moldova 6.0 = Norway 6.0 65 United Arab Emirates 5.5 66 Latvia 5.0 = Singapore 5.0 68 Albania 4.0 = Armenia 4.0 70 Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 = Venezuela 3.0 73 Bulgaria 2.5 = Nigeria 2.5 75 Serbia 2.0 76 Mauritius 1.5 77 Jamaica 1.0 = Samoa 1.0 = Ireland 1.0

Day 5. These late nights are killing me. I fell asleep on the sofa in the middle of the swimming, TV blaring , excel spreadsheet humming away merrily on my laptop. Great Britain have moved up the table again and are now the top EU nation (at least whilst we’re still in the EU). I don’t think we need a crystal ball to work out which two countries will top the table at the end of the Games, but I would have thought that third place is up for grabs, particularly with Russia having only one competitor in Athletics. Only two countries made their debut today: Armenia and Singapore. This means that only two former Soviet Republics- Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are yet to have any top eight finishes so far. Apologies for the formatting, btw 1 USA 301.0 2 China 225.5 3 Japan 173.5 4 Russia 157.0 5 Great Britain 149.5 6 Australia 142.0 7 Italy 125.5 8 France 97.0 9 Canada 76.0 = Korea, Rep 76.0 11 Germany 74.0 12 Hungary 73.5 13 Kazakhstan 59.5 14 Brazil 59.0 15 Netherlands 45.5 16 Spain 41.5 17 Colombia 38.0 18 Sweden 35.5 19 Thailand 34.0 = Korea, DPR 34.0 21 Mexico 29.0 22 Chinese Taipei 28.0 23 New Zealand 27.0 24 Ukraine 26.0 = Egypt 26.0 26 Belgium 25.5 27 Georgia 22.5 28 Switzerland 22.0 29 Slovenia 21.5 30 Indonesia 21.0 = South Africa 21.0 32 Vietnam 19.0 33 Slovakia 18.0 34 Mongolia 16.5 35 Czech Republic 16.0 36 Denmark 15.0 37 Greece 14.0 38 Tunisia 13.0 39 Croatia 12.0 = Azerbaijan 12.0 = Poland 12.0 42 Uzbekistan 11.0 = Malaysia 11.0 44 Dominican Rep 10.5 = Israel 10.5 = Romania 10.0 47 India 9.0 = IOA (Kuwait) 9.0 49 Argentina 8.0 = Kosovo 8.0 = Iran 8.0 52 Portugal 7.5 53 Philippines 7.0 = Turkey 7.0 = Ecuador 7.0 56 Kyrgyzstan 6.0 Belarus 6.0 Moldova 6.0 59 UAE 5.5 = Latvia 5.0 = Austria 5.0 = Singapore 5.0 63 Cuba 4.5 64 Albania 4.0 = Armenia 4.0 66 Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 68 Bulgaria 2.5 69 Serbia 2.0 = Lithuania 2.0 71 Mauritius 1.5 72 Fiji 1.0 = Jamaica 1.0 = Samoa 1.0 = Ireland 1.0 = Estonia 1.0

So Day 4, and only 251 events left to go. France and Hungary have replaced South Korea and Brazil in the top ten, and there's been some other shuffling of the positions in the upper part of the list. Germany have moved up 17 places in two days after success in the 3 day event and women's pistol shooting. Moldova make their debut at joint 64th, but a former judoka of theirs has also earned the UAE their fist points (and medal). Notable absentee of the day from the list: Finland. Admittedly, the cross-country skiing doesn't take place until 2018... 1 USA 243.0 2 China 158.0 3 Japan 130.5 4 Russia 117.0 5 Australia 109.0 6 Italy 102.5 7 Great Britain 95.0 8 France 84.5 9 Hungary 62.5 10 Canada 59.5 11 Brazil 54.0 12 Korea, Rep 51.5 13 Germany 49.0 14 Kazakhstan 36.5 15 Thailand 29.0 16 Sweden 28.0 17 Netherlands 27.5 18 Chinese Taipei 25.5 19 Mexico 25.0 20 New Zealand 24.0 21 Colombia 23.0 22 Spain 22.0 23 Indonesia 21.0 = South Africa 21.0 = Korea, DPR 21.0 26 Ukraine 19.0 27 Belgium 18.5 28 Georgia 15.5 29 Denmark 15.0 30 Slovenia 14.5 31 Egypt 14.0 = Greece 14.0 = Switzerland 14.0 34 Vietnam 12.0 = Mongolia 12.0 = Croatia 12.0 = Slovakia 12.0 38 Uzbekistan 11.0 = Malaysia 11.0 40 Dominican Rep 10.5 = Azerbaijan 10.5 42 Czech Republic 10.0 43 Poland 9.0 = India 9.0 = Israel 9.0 46 Argentina 8.0 = Kosovo 8.0 48 Philippines 7.0 = Tunisia 7.0 = Turkey 7.0 51 Romania 6.0 = Kyrgyzstan 6.0 53 Portugal 5.5 = UAE 5.5 55 Latvia 5.0 = Ecuador 5.0 57 Cuba 4.5 58 Albania 4.0 59 Iran 3.0 = Belarus 3.0 = Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 63 Bulgaria 2.5 64 Serbia 2.0 = Lithuania 2.0 = Moldova 2.0 67 Mauritius 1.5 = Austria 1.5 69 IOA (Kuwait) 1.0 70 Fiji 1.0 = Jamaica 1.0 = Samoa 1.0 = Ireland 1.0 = Estonia 1.0

And here's how it stands after Day 3, and 40 events. Great Britain have move up one place, narrowly missing out on three bronzes, winning two, but gaining points nonetheless. Russia has moved up three places and there's some welcome entries from Pacific countries at the foot of the table. Germany will start motoring shortly, surely? 1 USA 181.5 2 China 117.0 3 Russia 92.0 4 Italy 91.0 5 Japan 90.5 6 Australia 76.0 7 Great Britain 69.0 8 Canada 49.0 9 Brazil 46.5 10 Korea, Rep 43.5 11 France 42.5 12 Hungary 39.5 13 Kazakhstan 30.5 14 Thailand 29.0 15 Chinese Taipei 25.5 16 Spain 21.0 = Indonesia 21.0 18 Sweden 19.0 = Ukraine 19.0 20 Germany 17.0 21 Belgium 16.5 22 South Africa 16.0 23 Netherlands 15.0 24 Mexico 14.0 = New Zealand 14.0 26 Colombia 13.0 27 Vietnam 12.0 = Denmark 12.0 = Mongolia 12.0 = Egypt 12.0 = Croatia 12.0 32 Uzbekistan 11.0 33 Dominican Rep 10.5 = Azerbaijan 10.5 35 Poland 9.0 = India 9.0 = Georgia 9.0 38 Argentina 8.0 = Kosovo 8.0 40 Philippines 7.0 = Korea, DPR 7.0 = Tunisia 7.0 43 Greece 6.0 = Romania 6.0 45 Portugal 5.5 46 Slovakia 5.0 = Latvia 5.0 = Czech Republic 5.0 = Ecuador 5.0 50 Malaysia 4.0 51 Cuba 3.5 = Slovenia 3.5 = Israel 3.5 54 Iran 3.0 = Belarus 3.0 = Iceland 3.0 = Papua New Guinea 3.0 58 Serbia 2.0 = Lithuania 2.0 60 Mauritius 1.5 61 Switzerland 1.0 = Albania 1.0 = IOA (Kuwait) 1.0 = Fiji 1.0 = Jamaica 1.0 = Samoa 1.0

Well, I need to go to bed. It's 4.am here in the UK. Here's the standings after 2 days and 26 events. Great Britain move up to 8th after a good night in the pool and Italy are doing very well indeed. Kosovo are above Germany! Who would have thought it? 1 USA 117.0 2 China 77.5 3 Italy 72.0 4 Australia 60.0 5 Japan 56.0 6 Russia 45.5 7 Korea, Rep 43.5 8 Great Britain 42.0 9 Brazil 34.5 10 Canada 33.5 11 France 25.0 12 Kazakhstan 24.5 13 Hungary 22.5 14 Spain 19.0 = Sweden 19.0 16 Chinese Taipei 16.0 17 Netherlands 15.0 18 Thailand 14.0 19 Indonesia 12.0 = Vietnam 12.0 21 Uzbekistan 11.0 = Belgium 11.0 23 Poland 9.0 = Mexico 9.0 = South Africa 9.0 26 Argentina 8.0 = Kosovo 8.0 = Denmark 8.0 29 Dominican Rep 7.5 30 Germany 7.0 = New Zealand 7.0 = Philippines 7.0 = Korea, DPR 7.0 34 Greece 6.0 35 Slovakia 5.0 36 Mongolia 5.0 = Latvia 5.0 = Tunisia 4.0 39 Egypt 4.0 = India 4.0 = Malaysia 4.0 42 Cuba 3.5 = Azerbaijan 3.5 = Georgia 3.5 = Slovenia 3.5 46 Iran 3.0 47 Colombia 3.0 = Croatia 2.0 = Serbia 2.0 50 Romania 1.5 = Mauritius 1.5 52 Ukraine 1.0 = Switzerland 1.0 = Albania 1.0