The USA dominated the 2020 Olympics with a stunning 113 medals. China came a distant second with 89 medals, while Japan was third with 58. So, no surprise that Team USA is the current favourite to win big at the Olympic Games 2024. According to Oddstrader, the USA has current odds of -600 to win the most gold medals.
But they don’t dominate all the sports. So, this gives an exciting opportunity to betters to diversify their bets.
Let’s look at the top 10 games that are set to make waves this year in the betting circles.
Top 10 Games to Watch Out For
A total of 329 events in 32 sports events are scheduled for the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Here are the top 10 games to watch this year:
1. Breakdancing
Breaking, commonly called breakdancing, is the latest sport to be added to the Olympic Games 2024. The sport was part of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. It won’t be returning to the Los Angeles Olympics 2028, making it an extra special game to watch out for.
The exciting part about this unique sport is that the participants are not aware of the music they will be performing to. They learn this the moment they are on the stage, and hence, they improvise their moves to the beat.
Some of the favorites to win medals include U.S. star Victor Montalvo, Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro), Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny), and Logan Edra (B-Girl Logistx). Other names to watch out for are Philip Kim (B-Boy Phil Wizard) from Canada, Shigeyuki Nakarai (B-Boy Shigekix) from Japan, Danis Civil (B-Boy Dany) from France, Dominika Banevic (B-Girl Nicka) from Lithuania, Say Dembele (B-Girl Syssy) from France, and Ayumi Fukushima (B-Girl Ayumi) from Japan.
2. Track and Field
Track and field include many sports, including the 100-meter dash, javelin, marathon, and shot put. This is the same event where Jamaica’s Usain Bolt earned many gold medals. He is one of the reasons why this will be one of the most sought-after events at the Olympics. As a bettor, you should keep an eye on this tournament as there will be ample chance to earn some big bucks from the multiple sports events.
3. Swimming
Many people relate swimming at the Olympics to Michael Phelps. He finished his decorated career with 28 medals, including a record 23 gold medals. At the 2008 Olympics, Phelps became the first athlete to win eight gold medals.
Thomas Heilman, a 17-year-old American swimmer finished the 100-meter butterfly event at the Olympic Swimming Trials in 50.80 seconds. He bettered Phelp’s record of 51.10 seconds record 17-18 National Age Group in 2003 World Champions. Thomas might be one athlete on whom you can place some big bets in the Olympics.
4. Gymnastics
Simone Biles of Team USA is the clear favourite. The 27-year-old has won seven Olympic medals in her career. She withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the middle. However, this year, she is one of the top athletes to watch out for. Considering, the chances that the USA team has in the Paris Olympics, it won’t be a bad move to place some good bets on Simone.
5. Basketball
The USA men’s basketball team for the Paris 2024 Olympics includes players such as Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Jayson Tatum. This team is considered the favorite to win the gold medal, with top-rated sportsbooks offering odds of -450 for their victory.
The USA women’s basketball team has assembled a talented roster including Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Lloyd, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young. This team is heavily favored, with odds of -1200 to secure the gold medal.
6. Football
Brazil won the gold medal in the men’s tournament at the last Olympics. Spain finished with a silver medal, while Mexico settled for the bronze. France, the hosts, are one of the favorites to win the medal this year. They are coached by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.
World champions Argentia are also in the mix to win the medal. Their recent performance makes them one of the top contenders. Spain have won a total of four medals at the Olympics, including one gold medal and three silver medals. They will be one of the teams you can’t avoid looking at while placing bets in the Olympics.
One can’t also leave teams like the USA and Japan while predicting the winners. This is set to be a highly competitive and thrilling sport at the Olympic Games 2024.
7. Tennis
A total of 64 players will participate in the Paris Olympics 2024 across each of the two singles draw. Some of the top contenders to win the medals in this sport are Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev in the men’s category.
Djokovic is a multiple grand slam winner and hence one of the strong contenders to win a medal. Germany’s Zverev won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympics and will be looking to make it two in a row. Jannic Sinner from Italy won the recent Australian Open, while Alcaraz from Spain is the current number one player in the world.
Iga Swiatek, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, and Coco Gauf are the top contenders in the women’s category. Swiatek is the world’s number-one player and grand slam winner. Raducanu is the Wimbledon champion, while Gauf won the recent US Open.
8. Boxing
The boxing events are scheduled to run at the Paris Olympics from July 27 to August 10. They will take place at the North Paris Arena and Roland Garros, the same venues where the French Open tennis tournament is held.
There are 13 categories in Boxing at the Paris Olympics, seven for men and six for women. Each category will start with a preliminary round of 32.
Team USA has won 117 boxing medals at the Olympics and is the all-time leader. Cuba is in second position with 78 medals, including 41 gold medals. France, the hosts, have won a total of 25 boxing gold medals.
Obviously, the USA boxers are the favorites to win medals this year. They might receive some tough ‘fight’ from other countries as well.
9. Sailing
Great Britain leads the medal tally in this sport. They won five medals in Sailing at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Moreover, Team GB has topped the medal sailing table at five of the last six Olympic Games. Sir Ben Ainslie, leads the medal tally with four golds and one silver. In the women’s category, Hannah Mills is the favourite.
An Indian athlete is also making big waves at sailing this year. Nethra Kumanan is not only the first Indian woman to qualify for the Summer Games but is also the first Indian sailor to bag a place at the Olympics by topping a qualifying event.
10. Cycling
This is a sport dominated by Europe. Tour de France champion, Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) earned bronze for the men’s road race in the Tokyo 2020 Games, while Richar Carapaz from Ecuador bagged the gold. This year’s favourites are Primoz Roglic from Slovenia, who bagged the gold in the 2020 Men’s Individual Time Trial, along with Rohan Dennis from Australia, who finished third.
Watch out for Chloe Dygert (America) in the women’s category. She has made an excellent comeback after recovering from a major injury.