I am a big fan of the Olympics. Which is more important, total medal count or number of gold medals?

Total Golds are #1. "If you're not first, you're last..." to quote Ricky Bobby; but seriously, we should be #1 in Golds and Overall, most of our Silvers will be due to a 1-2 sweep of the top part of the podium.

Remember, not all Nations compete in every event, therefore it is hard to go "like for like." But for a relatively way use a Gold (3), Silver (2), Bronze (1) point system. So a Nation taking 3 golds would have 9 points, vs a Nation taking 8 bronze or 4 silver.

This allows Nations who are not the "best" at any one thing (lots of 2nd/3rd) to end up being "overall best" while still allowing Nations who are the "best" to end up being "overall best" but not relying on a singular event.

The national pride, individual performance and dedication to fair and equitable competition is most important with total medal count somewhat lower on the consideration list.