The 2022 Beijing Olympics are well underway and, obviously, so is the medal competition. Going into the Games, Norway was tipped as the country to beat in both gold and total medals in online sports betting markets. Nearly a week into the global extravaganza and, contrary to the 2022 Olympics Odds, the Norwegians are lagging behind both Germany and Austria.
At this juncture, Germany leads the race to gold with five medals. Austria, however, leads the overall medal count with 12.
Retweet these Olympic medals for good luck! #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/HFqvWhL77o
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 3, 2022
Norway sits with four goals and 11 total medals. They’re tied in second place with the Russia Olympic Committee, whose 11 consist of two gold, three silver and six bronze. Canada is third overall in the total medal count with 10 (one gold, three silver and six bronze).
The United States is fourth overall with nine (three gold, five silver and one bronze). Germany’s eight medals, then Sweden and the Netherlands (seven each) round out the leading list.
2022 Beijing Olympics Odds: Norway Shows the Way
Typically, the United States is the team to beat in the Summer Olympics. The Winter Olympics have been another story, with Norway emerging as the gold standard for gold (and all) medals, for that matter. Since 1924, Norway holds the record for most all-time Winter Olympic medals.
Norway’s total of 368 medals is 63 more than second-best United States (305) through 23 Winter Olympics, including the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The Norwegians have won 132 gold, 125 silver and 111 bronze medals. The United States has amassed 105 gold, 110 silver and 90 bronze medals.
The third-winningest country in the Winter Olympics is Germany, with 240 overall medals (92 gold, 88 silver and 60 bronze).
Fourth would be the Austrians with 232 medals overall. However, Austria comes up short on its gold medal count with just 64. Austria has had more success winning silver (81) and bronze (87).
Canada is fifth overall with 199 medals followed by the Soviet Union at 194. However, the Soviet Union edges Canada in taking home the gold medals 78-73..
Other nations that have enjoyed success at the Winter Games include Finland (167 medals), Sweden (158), Switzerland (153), Netherlands (130) and Russia (120). Italy and France are tied with 124 medals each.
Olympics Medal Count Betting
Norway opened as the -500 favorites at the betting online exchange to win the most gold medals, while Germany was priced at +500.
After this top tandem, the rest of the field was priced in quadruple digits with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at +1000, USA at +1500 and Canada at +1600. The outsiders were the Netherlands (+3300), host China (+5000), Sweden (+8000) and Switzerland (+12000).
Similarly, Norway led the Olympics betting market as the overwhelming -700 favorites to collect the most medals in Beijing. The ROC and Germany were tied in this market at +900 to be the winningest nations at the 2022 Winter Olympics, while USA and Canada were priced at +1200 apiece.
Controversy at the Olympics
As is the case with seemingly every single Olympics, controversy prevails. Among the contentious events that have already taken place, the most prominent is the delay to Wednesday’s team figure skating medal ceremony
The ROC claimed the gold medal in the event on the strength of Kamila Valieva’s individual skate. However, the medal ceremony was abruptly delayed due to legal reasons, according to various media outlets.
The ceremony to present Valieva and her Russian teammates with their Olympic medals has been delayed for unexplained legal reasons. #Beijing2022https://t.co/0fmoSZ9zYk
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) February 10, 2022
Russia’s star figure skater, 15-year-old Valieva, allegedly returned a positive test for a banned substance. Should the Russians be subsequently stripped of the medal, it will have ramifications on the rest of the figure skating competitions, not to mention potentially eliminating the teenager from the Games entirely.
To place bets on the 2022 Olympics at BetUS sportsbook, follow the link below for the comprehensive list of events and corresponding markets currently available.
