BEIJING • The equation is simple: More revenue equals more Olympic gold medals.

That’s math in the eyes of the U.S. Olympic Committee, whose leaders called for increased financial resources Friday as China edged closer to winning the gold-medal count at the Beijing Games.

Details remain sketchy on how the Colorado Springs-based USOC, a nonprofit corporation, plans to boost an operating budget that totaled about $600 million the past four years.Perhaps the most feasible option is adding to some of its 25 partners and sponsors. Domestic sponsorships typically go for more than $20 million.

Another possibility is tapping the U.S. government. Unlike almost all of the other 204 national Olympic committees, the USOC receives no government financing.

Revenue chances also are plentiful in the pending U.S. Olympic Network, a 24-hour TV channel that would feature news updates, live coverage of events and archival footage.

“Can we invest the resources that we have available to us more intelligently?” said Jim Scherr, chief executive officer of the USOC. “We need our country to support our team. We need more resources.”

According to USA Today, the USOC budgeted about $12 million for the 17-day Olympics, including $3 million to rent Beijing Normal University, a makeshift training center for 22 sports.

In return, it got a bunch of medals – most the wrong color.

ith two days left, China leads the U.S. 47-31 in the gold-medal count, and the Americans hold a 102-89 edge in total medals. The U.S. collected the most golds and total medals at the past three Summer Games.

As expected, the U.S. has won medals in bunches in marquee sports – 31 in swimming behind Michael Phelps, 21 in track and field despite Tyson Gay’s flameout and 10 in gymnastics with large contributions from Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin.

The Americans have made strides in nontraditional sports, evidenced by a combined 20 medals in equestrian, fencing, rowing, sailing and shooting, and they flexed their muscle with three medals in the Olympic debut of BMX cycling.

They won team golds in women’s soccer and men’s and women’s beach volleyball, silvers in women’s gymnastics, softball and women’s water polo and a bronze in men’s gymnastics.

They’ll play for gold in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor volleyball and men’s water polo.

The U.S. downfall came in three combat sports. Wrestling got its only medals in a gold from Henry Cejudo and bronzes from Randi Miller and Adam Wheeler, and Deontay Wilder (the former four are based in Colorado Springs) and Ronda Rousey won the lone medals in boxing and judo with bronzes.

“We need to focus on many sports where we really don’t show up,” USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said. “There are lots of places where we’ve lost medals and we’re not doing as well as we should.”

In the financial fight, USOC chief of sport performance Steve Roush said the key is staying “proactive before it becomes critical and there is no revenue source. Then we have to go with our hands out and take whatever we can.”

Roush plans to ask leaders of national governing bodies of Olympic sports, “What do you think is missing? What is it that could be added to your programming that’s not there that would make you more competitive? … There are wish lists that far exceed anything that we can bring to the table, but we’d look to raising their level.”-CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out our Olympics blog at gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com

Bryan Clay of U.S. holds up his gold medal for the decathlon at the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) Photo by