- Great Britain has the second highest number of Olympic clean sweep victories
- The USA tops the table, whilst The Soviet Union ranks third
- Every Summer Olympics was examined to determine the results
New data has revealed the countries with the cleanest sweeps at the Olympics, with Great Britain taking an impressive second place.
Sports betting experts at Thelines.com analysed medallists from every Summer Olympics since 1896. A “clean sweep” is where all three medals in an event are won by athletes or teams of the same country.
The number of clean sweeps for each country were then totalled up to reveal the final ranking – and the United States ranks first, boasting a massive 158 clean sweeps.
The US consistently tops the charts with the number of medals won. Before the current Olympics, the US held 2,975 medals, the highest of any nation, with 1,179 of those being gold, also the highest of any other nation.
Great Britain places second, with 21 Summer Olympic clean sweeps. Not only is Great Britain part of just five nations to have always been represented at the Olympics, but Team GB is also the only team to have won at least one gold medal at every game.
All of the nation’s clean sweep successes come from earlier games, particularly the 1908 Olympics in London. Standout sports include boxing, shooting and tennis.
The Soviet Union ranks a close third, with 20 clean sweeps. Although the Soviet Union disbanded in 1991, with its 15 former republics now competing separately, the nation holds the second highest number of Olympic medals after the US at 1,204.
France is fourth, with a total of 18 clean sweeps in summer games since 1896. Host of the current Olympic games, France has won a total of 910 medals since 2022 – 272 of which were gold. Sailing and fencing are the nation’s best events.
Sweden places fifth, achieving 12 clean sweeps in Summer Olympics. The 1912 Stockholm Olympics proved the most successful in terms of clean sweeps; half of them were won here in a variety of events such as diving, shooting and athletics.
East Germany, also known as The German Democratic Republic, is sixth, with eight clean sweeps. Most medals won by East German athletes still stand today, and seven out of eight clean sweeps were for swimming – six of which were won in 1980.
Finland ranks seventh, with six Summer Olympic clean sweeps. The nation’s strongest event is athletics, with five clean sweeps in this discipline. In 1920, Finland claimed not only the first three places for the Javelin, but the first four.
China and Japan draw for eighth, with five clean sweeps each. China’s clean sweep history dominates table tennis, where the country won all medals for both the men and women’s singles in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the women’s singles in 1988.
Four out of five clean sweeps for Japan were won in artistic gymnastics, particularly in the 1972 Munich Olympics. All medals in the horizontal bar, parallel bars and the individual all-round events were won by Japanese gymnasts.
In ninth is Germany, with a total of four Summer Olympic clean sweeps. Prior to World War II and after 1992, Germany competed as a unified nation. Half of their clean sweeps were won in swimming.
Italy and Jamaica tie for tenth, both achieving three clean sweeps in previous Summer Olympics.
All of Italy’s clean sweeps have been in fencing, with the most recent occurring at the London 2012 Olympics for the women’s foil individual.
Similarly, Jamaica’s clean sweeps were all won in the athletics, most recently in the women’s 100 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Top ten countries with the most Summer Olympic clean sweeps
| Country | Number of Clean Sweeps | |
| 1 | United States | 158 |
| 2 | Great Britain | 21 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 20 |
| 4 | France | 18 |
| 5 | Sweden | 12 |
| 6 | East Germany | 8 |
| 7 | Finland | 6 |
| 8 | China Japan |
5 |
| 9 | Germany | 4 |
| 10 | Italy Jamaica |
3 |
Brett Collson, Head of Sports at Thelines.com, commented on the findings:
“The Olympics are one of the most important sporting events, where the world’s best athletes come together to compete. While winning any medal is an outstanding accomplishment, winning all three in an event is seriously impressive.
“It’s interesting that a lot of clean sweeps occur on home soil; crowd support from your own nation is key. As the Paris Olympics continue, it’s exciting to see which nations will dominate events, and who will grow their clean sweep collection.”