The Olympic Games began with 199 countries participating. Nonetheless, the enthusiasm of the sports and the attention and coverage are truly worldwide. For the USA, people champion for athletic accomplishment and personal conquest over hardship and difficulties, while the poorest nations are proud of merely taking part at the world stage. Their top sports programs are available for only a few, with a goal that they will bring glory to the nations. The U.S., with its wealth and freedom, has a plethora of opportunities available to its young athletes.
Parents start their kids young, in community sports programs offered throughout the country.
Many resources are also used to bring professional sports to the public. This strikes up the image that sports are an honorable and worthy thing to participate in. The public attention that sports enjoy encourages kids, and parents, to devote time, energy and money to sports when children are little. It is clear that an early start and wide devotion are advantageous in the Olympics. This is reflected in the number of medals won in the Olympics by the United States.