The World Selection Committee meets once a year before the Olympics. They usually meet in Washington, DC, where the Olympic Games are to be held. They discuss all countries preparations for the Olympic Games and whether there should be an increased qualification bar for every country. They also talk about whether or not there should be an increased proportion of athletes from each gender/age category at each games.
The committee does not decide which games the medals will be awarded in by popular vote. Each country has been assigned an Olympic committee. Of course, every country has athletes who have won medals at the Olympic Games once. Every country has some players who have never won a medal at any Olympics. It is for these reasons and others that the Olympic committees look at the medals qualifying criteria.
The extent to which each country can qualify for all of the sports that are part of the Olympic Games depends on the extent to which they train their teams and the extent to which they invest in sports science. Every country is allowed to spend an extra four years (eight) training their men and women in their particular sport. They can also spend two more years (four) for a balanced training program of men and women. But, for those who have already qualified for the Olympic Games, they only have six years (ten) to achieve their goal.
Other things that are looked into are the level of support available to the athletes. Sometimes, that means travel costs that are extremely high. Other times, it just means getting a place to stay. Other countries are also interested in keeping certain people on their team because they want to have more of an impact on the Olympic Games. There is also a concern for preserving the integrity of the games, both on the eventing and sporting fronts.
The World Selection Committee also has a vested interest in making sure that the athletes who represent their nation are eligible for selection. Each country also gets input from other nations. The World Selection Committee makes every effort to find out what the other nations think about each player and the possibility of them winning and competing at the Olympic Games. In many cases, this includes holding home and international competitions to find out if a player or a team is up to the challenge.
It is also very important for the selection committee to look at what types of skills the athlete has. Some of the most common talents considered by selection committees are speed, endurance, and strength. But, there are some sports where skill is less important than pure endurance or explosive power. The World Selection Committee will consider each candidate based on both talent and skill and will put together a team based on what is best for that sport and the level of international play that each team would be at if they made it to the Olympic Games.