If you follow any sport, you’ve probably seen that sports gambling is on the rise.1 Legalized sport betting in the US doubled in 2021, to over $52 billion. And if you thought the Olympics were too pure for online gambling, well…
All the usual suspects are offering odds on everything from 2-man Bobsled (German Francesco Friedrich is the prohibitive favorite) to CURLING! (the British men have a narrow edge over Canada) to at least 31 other events.
But if you’re like me, you prefer to focus on the Overall Medal Table (spoiler alert). Norway is almost certain to win the overall and gold medal counts - furthering their already huge lead in the all-time tables - with Russia and Germany battling for second, and the US and Canada fighting for fourth.
By the time you read this, the first four Gold Medals will have already been awarded in Beijing. Yesterday, Sports Illustrated took a stab at predicting all 109 winners, from the first (Norwegian Cross-Country Skier Therese Johaug) to the last (the Russian Men’s Hockey team). Meanwhile The Nielsen Company (yes that one) has taken a data-driven approach, analyzing every competition in every sport since 2018, to create a Virtual Medal Table. Apparently, the easiest sports to predict are Luge and Speed Skating, while the hardest are Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping, and CURLING!
I predict a great two weeks of sports regardless of who wins. (But go Team USA!)
What You Missed Last Night
The first Official day of the Olympics also saw the first four Gold Medals awarded.
No spoilers, but expect the Nordic countries to dominate the biathlon and cross-country events, and the Dutch are always favorites in distance skating.
What To Watch Today
Your first day of live viewing recommendations features three Team USA matches, four Gold Medal events, and the continuation of the Figure Skating Team Event.
American Jamie Anderson is a medal threat in Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle.
Other Olympic News
NY Post: Vladimir Putin ‘falls asleep’ at Beijing Olympics as Ukrainian team is introduced
Sports Illustrated: The IOC’s Quota Decision for Beijing Sends a Message to Black Winter Olympics Athletes
NOS: Our correspondent @sjoerddendaas was pulled away from the camera by security guards at 12:00 pm live in the NOS Journaal. Unfortunately, this is increasingly becoming a daily reality for journalists in China. He is fine and was able to finish his story a few minutes later
Photo of the Day
The online gambling industry spent $1.2 billion USD on marketing alone last year.