These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically. This follows the system used by the IOC, IAAF and BBC.
Athletes from 52 countries won medals, leaving 108 countries without a medal. The Soviet Union dominated the medal count, winning 55 gold and 132 total medals. The results that got closest to that medal haul in the years since are China's and the USA's 48 gold medals in 2008 and 2012, respectively, and the USA's 121 total medals in 2016.
^ abJohnson, William Oscar; Moore, Kenny (October 3, 1988). "The Loser". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.