Culture and genetic attributes may play a big part. The continued performance of the smaller former Soviet republics in events like weightlifting in the years after the breakup of the Soviet Union (often despite straitened economic conditions in those countries) illustrates this well. These countries continue to deliver solid performances in the Olympic Games, long after the demise communist regimes that pushed sporting excellence at all expense. A range of examples, from Lithuania in basketball (a small country that regularly features in the top group of nations in a truly world sport), to Malaysia in badminton and New Zealand in rugby, show how a tradition in a sport can overcome disadvantages. Further examples can be found in athletics, especially in the cases of the Caribbean states in the sprint events, and East African countries like Kenya and Ethiopia in the middle and long distance events. Here, genetics may play a role. Sprinters of West African stock - and especially the West African diaspora in the US and the Caribbean - have a long tradition of Olympic overachievement, from Jesse Owens to Edwin Moses and to Usain Bolt in more recent years. It is surely only a matter of time before a West African country produces a champion in the 100 metre event. Ethiopia and particularly Kenya have dominated the middle and long distances in a similar way. Considering that Kenya's star distance athletes are drawn mostly from a small section of the population, the Kalenjin ethnic group who make up less than 10% of the population, this outperformance is even more remarkable. The secret of Kenyan success has long occupied the attention of sports scientists; it would appear that the combination of diet, living at high altitude over a large number of generations and other genetic factors has created just the right permutation of traits to produce the perfect middle distance athlete. Genetic factors are nothing though if not combined with societal factors, such as a tradition of participation in a certain sport, and role that a competitive peer group and role models can play. Seeing one’s countrymen succeeding on the biggest stage can inspire talented youngsters to take up the sport and to train hard. http://www.investec.co.za/research-a...c-success.html Genetics and region do play a role...Out of 6 medallists from India 4 of them belong to the Jat belt in Haryana....May be Bhains ka Dhoodh (Buffalo Milk) and Dahi (Curd) play a significant role