Olympics Betting Odds & Predictions | BettingOdds.com
With nearly 3,000 years of history behind it, the Olympic Games represents the pinnacle of athletic performance.
The modern Olympics event looks a little different to the combat sports and chariot races of 776 BC, with athletes from over 200 countries now taking part in summer and winter games. Keeping up with events on the track and field, in the water, and up on the mountains can be tricky, but here at Betting Odds, we’ve got everything you need to make Olympics betting easy and entertaining for Los Angeles 2028.
Olympics Events to Bet On
Olympic events are rooted in sporting contests held in ancient Greece. As a result, many events require minimal equipment: running, jumping, discus, javelin, and wrestling events made up the first Olympics programmes, and these sports all endure to this day.
The modern Olympics programme has seen many other sports added and taken away, reflecting new demands and interest across the sporting world. This programme was split in two in 1924 when the first winter games took place in France. Below we’ve highlighted the most celebrated events across the winter and summer games, all of which are available to wager on at the best Olympics betting sites.
Summer Olympics
- Athletics – The broadest category of any Olympic sport, athletics events take place either on the track or in the field. Track events are any that focus primarily on running, such as sprints like the 100 and 200m, middle distances like 400 and 800m, and longer distances such as the 1500m. Field athletics includes events such as javelin and discus, and jumping events like the high, long and triple jump. Other notable athletic events include the triathlon, heptathlon, pole vault, and hurdles. Today there are 48 athletics events at the Olympics.
- Swimming – Olympic swimming events cover both distances and strokes, meaning there are 35 swimming gold medals up for grabs at every games. Olympic swimming pools are 50m in length.
- Cycling – Taking place in the velodrome and out on the road, cycling contributes 22 gold medals to the total. The main difference is that some of the velodrome events are team sports, such as the team sprint and the madison, whereas events on the road run more like individual time trials.
- Football – Men’s football has been played at every modern Olympic Games except 1932, while women’s football was added to the programme at Atlanta 1996. Since 1992, when age restrictions were introduced, the men’s event has been used as a way of providing international opportunities for younger players. Players must be under 23 to take part, with three players over this age allowed since 1996. These restrictions aren’t in place for the women’s event.
- Golf – Golf was first played at the summer Olympics in 1900, before suffering a 112-year hiatus between 1904 and 2016, where it was reinstated for the Rio games. The top 15 players in the world automatically qualify for the men’s and women’s events, with a maximum of four players from each country. The remaining spots go to the highest-ranking players from countries with less representation.
- Tennis – Tennis was part of all early modern Olympic programmes up to 1924. It returned in 1984 as a demonstration sport, and has been part of every programme since. There are five tennis Olympic events: men and women’s singles and doubles, and the mixed doubles. Andy Murray is the only player to win two tennis gold medals.
- Basketball – As you’d expect, the US has dominated basketball at the Olympics. The men’s team have won 16 out of 19 events, while the women have won eight out of ten. There are two events: a 3x3 outdoor event, and the standard 5x5.
- Gymnastics – There are 18 gymnastics events in total, covering artistic, rhythmic, and trampolining. Some of the most famous include floor exercises, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault, and the horizontal bar. Athletes in this sport are perhaps the most impressive of all Olympians.
- Canoe – Canoeing events are split between the slalom, where athletes travail down artificial rapids, and the sprint, where it’s a straight race to the finish on calm waters.
- Badminton – Badminton has provided gold medal matches since 1992 and covers the same events as tennis, with men and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles.
- Hockey – There are two field hockey events at the Olympics: one men’s and one women’s. India is the most decorated nation in this sport, with eight gold medals.
- Rowing – Rowing events have been on the programme of every modern Olympics, with 14 events split across scull boats, where rowers use two oars, and coxless boats, where each rower uses just one.
- Rugby Sevens – Rugby sevens is the latest sport in this list to be introduced to the summer games, entering the programme in 2016. Twelve teams compete for the gold.
- Sailing – Like rowing, sailing events have been a staple of modern Olympic games. It is one of the only Olympic events to have operated as a gender-neutral sport, although this changed in 1988. There are ten sailing events, one of which is mixed.
- Judo – There are 15 judo events at the Olympics, with men and women sharing medals since 1992. Like other combat sports, competitors are divided by weight.
- Shooting – Shooting was one of the nine sports on the programme at the first modern Olympics in 1896. It now covers 15 events: air pistol, air rifle, rapid fire pistol, rifle three positions, skeet and trap.
- Archery – South Korea set the gold standard in archery, winning 27 out of 39 events since 1984. There are both individual and team events in this sport.
Winter Olympics
- Skiing – Skiing is one of the primary sports on the winter Olympics programme, covering alpine, cross-country, ski jumping and ski mountaineering events. Austria has dominated the 11 skiing events currently held at the Olympics.
- Snowboarding – Snowboarding has been on the winter Olympics roster since 1998 and now covers ten events split evenly between men and women. The half-pipe event is one of the highlights of the winter games, where boarders perform tricks as they build-up speed along the downhill gradient.
- Bobsleigh – Most bobsleigh events take place in either two or four-person teams, where competitors hurtle down an ice track at speeds up to 93mph. At Beijing 2022, the women’s-only monobob event was introduced, where brave souls face the sled solo.
- Curling – Great Britain is surprisingly competitive in curling, winning silver medals in 2014 and 2022. Players in this sport work in teams, aiming to slide the curling stone into the bullseye of the target on the ice, knocking opposing stones out of the way in the process.
- Skating – There are two predominant skating disciplines at the Olympics: figure skating and speed skating. Figure skating is an elegant performance akin to a dance, with five events in total; speed skating is a simple race to the finish line, with team and individual events covering a range of distances.
- Biathlon – The biathlon combines cross-country skiing with shooting, with distances ranging from 6km relays to 20km individual events. Speed and accuracy are the two main scoring areas in this sport.
- Ice Hockey – Played at every winter games, ice hockey is already a popular sport to bet on at the top sportsbooks. There are two Olympic events – one men’s and one women’s.
- Luge – The luge is similar to the bobsleigh, except athletes travel supine down the ice in either one or two-person teams.
- Skeleton – The skeleton also sees athletes zip down the ice, but it’s distinct from the luge in a number of ways: it’s an individual-only sport, athletes travel face-first, and it features a running start and the ability to steer using shoulders and feet. Perhaps the most terrifying of all Olympic sports.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Olympics
When are the next summer Olympics?
The next summer Olympics will take place in Los Angeles in 2028.
When are the next winter Olympics?
The next winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina, Italy, in 2026.
Which site has the best Olympics betting odds?
All of our recommended sites will offer competitive Olympics odds, but look out for odds boosts and other promotions in the build-up and during the games.
Which nation has won the most Olympic gold medals?
As of 2024, here are the top three gold medal countries at the summer Olympics:
- USA: 1,101
- Soviet Union: 395
- China: 303
As of 2024, here are the top three gold medal countries at the winter Olympics:
- Norway: 148
- USA: 114
- Germany: 104
Can you bet on all the Olympic events?
Yes, there isn't a single Olympic sport that you won't be able to bet on at the 2024 Olympics.

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