The 2004 Summer Olympics medal table is a list of National Olympic Committees ranked by the number of medals won during the 2004 Summer Olympics, held in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. A total of 10,625 athletes from 201 countries participated in these games, competing in 301 events in 28 sports. Kiribati and Timor Leste competed for the first time in these Olympic Games.
Athletes from 74 countries won at least one medal, leaving 127 countries without a medal. The United States won the most gold medals (35), the most silver medals (40) and the most medals overall (101). China finished second on the International Olympic Committee medal table (though third in terms of total medals), the country's best performance until the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Russia finished third, (second in total medals), and also won the most bronze medals (38). Host nation Greece finished fifteenth, with six gold, six silver, and four bronze medals, in its best total medal haul since 1896.
Australia became the first nation to improve their gold medal total at the Games immediately after hosting a Summer Olympics.
The United Arab Emirates, Paraguay and Eritrea won their first ever Olympic medals. Israel, Chile, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and United Arab Emirates won their first Olympic gold medals.
The medal table is based on information provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is consistent with IOC convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a nation is an entity represented by a National Olympic Committee). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically.
In boxing and judo, two bronze medals were awarded in each weight class, so the total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold and silver medals.
Key
* Host nation (Greece)
Changes in medal standings
During the Games such changes in medal standings are occurred:
Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sabanis was the first, losing his bronze medal in the men's 62 kg competition, so fourth placed Venezuelan Israel José Rubio received the medal in his place.
Russian athlete Irina Korzhanenko lost her gold medal in women's shot put, with Cuban Yumileidi Cumbá Jay replacing her as the Olympic champion, German Nadine Kleinert receiving the silver medal, and Svetlana Krivelyova of Russia receiving the bronze medal.
Hungarian Róbert Fazekas was stripped of his gold medal in the men's discus throw, shifting the gold medal to Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania, the silver medal to Zoltán Kővágó of Hungary, and the bronze medal to Aleksander Tammert of Estonia.
Adrián Annus, also from Hungary, was stripped of the gold medal in the men's hammer throw, handing the Olympic title to Koji Murofushi of Japan, with Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus taking the silver, and Eşref Apak of Turkey taking the bronze medal.
Since the conclusion of the 2004 Games, doping scandals have resulted in the revocations of medals from numerous athletes, thus affecting the medal standings.
In the team jumping event, German equestrian Ludger Beerbaum was disqualified, after his horse Goldfever tested positive for the illegal substance betamethasone. This led to the gold medal being awarded the American team Chris Kappler, Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, and Peter Wylde, and the silver medal to Peder Fredericson, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Peter Eriksson, and Malin Baryard of the Swedish team. Christian Ahlmann, Marco Kutscher, and Otto Becker of the German team retained a medal, as they were able to earn the bronze medal without Goldfever’s results.
Irish equestrian Cian O'Connor was stripped of his gold medal in individual jumping, due to the doping of his horse, Waterford Crystal, resulting in the title being awarded to Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, the silver medal to Chris Kappler of the United States, and the bronze medal to Marco Kutscher of Germany.
US cyclist Tyler Hamilton in men's road time trial confessed that he doped during the Summer Olympics. He had his gold medal reallocated to Viatcheslav Ekimov from Russia, US cyclist Bobby Julich was awarded the silver medal, and Australian Michael Rogers receiving bronze.
The US women's 4 x 400 metres relay team was recommended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to be stripped of their gold medal, after the suspension of Crystal Cox for doping. The gold medal should theoretically go to Russia, silver to Jamaica and bronze to Great Britain. However, up to today, no further action has been taken by IOC. Hence, the US relay team is still listed as the winner for this event.
Four Athletes were stripped of their medals on 5 December 2012 after drug re-testings of their samples were found positive. No decision has yet been taken on reallocating the medals.Ukrainian Yuriy Bilonoh, gold medalist in men's shot put
Russian Svetlana Krivelyova, bronze medalist in women's shot put
Belarusian Ivan Tsikhan, silver medalist in men's hammer throw
Belarusian Iryna Yatchenko, bronze medalist in women's discus throw
On 12 February 2013 the International Olympic Committee stripped Russian weightlifter Oleg Perepetchenov of his bronze medal in the Men's 77 kg after both probes were retested and showed traces of anabolic steroids. No decision has yet been taken on reallocating the medals.
On 5 March 2013, the International Olympic Committee sent a statement to the Spanish Olympic Committee, taking the decision to reallocate the medals in the men's shot put, due to exclusion of Ukrainian Yuriy Bilonoh, gold medalist at the time, by doping. Based on this decision, the new owner of the gold medal will be with the U.S. athlete Adam Nelson, the silver medal will be with the Danish Joachim Olsen, and bronze medals will be with Spanish Manuel Martínez.
During the meeting of the IOC Executive Board, on 30 May 2013, there were three new decisions of the reallocated medals. In athletics, Executive Board confirmed the reallocation of medals in men's shot put. In athletics, the athlete Věra Pospíšilová-Cechlová (Czech Republic) will be the new bronze medalist proof of the Women's discus throw. In Weightlifting, the athlete Reyhan Arabacıoğlu (Turkey) be the new bronze medalist proof in the Men's 77 kg.
