As a child, I eagerly anticipated the Olympic Games, along with the Tour de France and the World Cup, which were the biggest televised sporting events to watch. We would often recreate our favourite events in our own neighborhood, such as hurdles, shotput, and long jumps. 

Hurdles involved leaping over hedges in the gardens along the street. Cycling involved sprinting down the street or completing a few laps around the block, while football games were played with teams of 20 or more children that lasted for hours.  

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Russia’s Absence Could Lead to a Greater Gold Medal Total for Team GB 

The dominant sporting powers were Russia, China, and the USA, and it was rare to see Team GB bring home the gold. However, with Russia's absence from the 2024 Olympics, there may be an opportunity for Team GB to claim a larger share of the 5,000 medals.

The Olympic Games offer a new dimension to the sports experience, not only for athletes but also for spectators who engage in sports betting. 

With as many as 329 events across 32 sports, there is a lot to follow when the Olympic Games come around. 

PaddyPower offers betting odds for every event during the Olympics, including the 100m sprints and breakdancing.  

Popular Olympic Betting Markets  

Betting on the Olympics involves predicting outcomes in various events and sports, with different types of bets available, such as medal bets, event winner bets, over/under bets.  

Most Medals: Bet on the country that will win the most medals during the Olympics. 

The over/under market lets you bet on whether a certain outcome at the Olympics will be higher or lower than a set number. For instance, you could bet on whether Great Britain's overall gold medal count will be over or under 20.5. 

Outright Winner: The outright winner market is one of the best betting markets at the Olympics as you are simply selecting who will win an event.  

Most Gold Medals: The most gold medals market gives you the chance to bet on the nation that will win the most gold medals at the Olympics. 

How Will You Follow The Olympic Games of 2024? 

According to a YouGov survey, most people (66%) plan to watch the Olympics through TV broadcasts, while 34% will follow online streaming and social media updates. Men are more likely to stream online (38% vs. 29%) and read Olympics coverage on news sites and newspapers (31% vs. 27%). Women are more likely to follow through TV broadcasts (74%) and sports bars (15%). 

Interestingly, different markets have varying preferences for how to follow the Olympics. In Europe, Denmark and the UK lead in TV broadcast viewership (74%), while in Asia, Hong Kongers are most likely to follow through TV broadcasts (72%). In the US, Americans are more likely to follow through TV broadcasts (62%) and online streaming (32%). Online streaming is popular in Indonesia (51%), followed by the UAE (49%) and India (47%). 

Social media updates are also a popular choice, with Indians leading the way (55%), followed by Indonesians (49%). Notably, only 7% of French respondents plan to attend an Olympic venue. Overall, while there are differences in how people plan to follow the Olympics, TV broadcasts remain the most popular choice globally.