There are 206 National Olympic Committees worldwide, which are devised by the IOC and the International Sport Federation. These two organizations are the sole authorities who come together to recognize NOCs for the official Summer and Winter Games.

When it comes to both overall medal count and gold medal count, Norway is the odds-on favorite at the Winter Olympics. The nation has 405 medals overall, 148 of them gold. Compare that to the United States, which sits in second position in the all-time medal table, with 330 total, 114 gold.

These strange facts are pure gold.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics just a few days away, here's the official medal count for each country heading into the Games.