Will the 2020 Olympics Go Ahead? Betting on the Olympic Ceremony
Author:
Roy Brindley
Brisbane was officially awarded the 2032 Olympic Games on Wednesday. It was something of a formality given the Australian city was unanimously proposed as the single candidate for the 2032 Summer Olympics by the 15-strong International Olympic Committee’s executive board in June.
The Olympic Games famous five interlocking rings. @mcghavan/Unsplash
The decision means the venues for the next three Summer Olympics are set. Paris will host the games in 2024 and Los Angeles will stage the games for the third time in 2028.
Remarkably the immediate future of the delayed 2020 games is not so certain. Despite the opening ceremony countdown clock now only displaying hours and not days, some people believe the Games of the XXXII Olympiad could still be cancelled.
“We can’t predict what will happen with the number of coronavirus cases. So, we will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases,” said Toshiro Muto, the chief of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, during a press conference on Tuesday. His insinuation that there is still the possibility that the Olympics will be cancelled saw a spike in betting interest on the Betfair betting exchange.
Over €500,000 has been wagered on Betfair’s market on ‘will the opening ceremony take place on July 23?’
33 Sports, 339 Competitions and Even More Betting Markets
1.02 represents betting odds of 1/50 so the overwhelming likelihood is the games will proceed. However, they will not proceed as normal. A ‘no crowds’ policy means stadiums and auditoriums will be strangely sterile and muted.
Nevertheless, the 2020 Olympic Games are likely to see a record number of bets placed on the 33 different sports and 339 different gold medal disciplines. The reason for this is simple. 8,200-plus kilometers away US citizens will legally be permitted to gamble on the Olympics outside of Las Vegas for the very first time.
Global sportsbooks, such as William Hill, have been quick to accommodate them and have priced-up many Olympic betting markets. They include the country to win the most gold medals and most medals of any color. You can bet higher or lower on a line of many individual countries medal haul and, of course, on individual events.
USA Clear Favorites to Win Most Golds
The current line on the total US gold medal haul stands at 44.5. You can bet higher or lower at 20/23. Consequently, the USA are 1/8 to win the most gold medals at the games. China are second favorites at 6/1. Great Britain can be backed at 40/1 and their gold medal line has been set at 14.5.
These markets will be constantly updated so it is worth studying the sports which could favor your country and pay special attention to their position in the events diary. For example, there are 48 gold medal athletic events. The first of these will not be awarded until July 30. At this point the bulk of the 49 medal events in the aquatic category will have already been awarded. Rowing has its busy spell starting on July 27 with 14 events decided over four days. Similarly, the 18 medal events in wrestling all take place in a six-day window starting on August 2.
Will Bromwell Be Another 100 meter Gold Medalist For The USA?
Three of the game’s biggest dates are August 1, when the men’s 100-metres is decided, August 7 when another blue riband event, the men’s 1,500 metres, takes place and August 8 when the showpiece men’s marathon concludes the games.
American Trayvon Bromell is the short-priced 11/10 favorite for the 100-metre title. Eighth in the final in 2016, the 26-year-old has set the world’s fastest time of 2021 recording 9.77 seconds.
In mid-June Bromwell, who is undefeated in 2021, won the US Olympic trials ahead of Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley. The pair are 9/2 and 12/1 respectively to get their revenge by taking Olympic gold.
Some Names Are Missing but Golf Betting Could Be the Biggest Betting Hit
From a betting viewpoint the golf, which concludes on August 1, is sure to prove popular. Golf betting is immensely popular at all times and it was very well received when making its Olympic debut in 2016. In this market Spain’s Jon Rahm, the current world number one ranked player, is 5/1 favorite.
It is noticeable a number of leading golfers will not compete at the games, something Rahm says he understands. Speaking to USA Today he said he appreciated how some players would miss the event in favor of concentrating on retaining their PGA Tour cards.
“I can understand why a lot of people are prioritizing the FedEx Cup events and great golf events,” said Rahm. “The Olympics are relatively new for the golf and I don’t blame them. In my case I want to play. It’s an absolute dream of mine to be an Olympian.
“I’ve been able to win championships representing Spain as an amateur in almost every imaginable level and to bring back the gold medal would be something amazing.”
The men’s and woman’s Olympic golf events will consist of just 60 players. Numerically no country can have more than four representatives. In fielding Collin Morikawa (currently world ranked No. 4), Justin Thomas (No. 3), Xander Schauffele (No. 5) and Bryson DeChambeau (No. 6) the USA have a very strong chance of collecting one or more medals in this event.
