2022 Winter Olympics Odds: Our Betting Guide For The Beijing Games

2022 Winter Olympics Betting Tips:

• Canada To Win Gold In Women's Curling Is +300 with Unibet

As the FIFA World Cup does not get underway until November, it is the Winter Olympics that will assume the mantle of the biggest world sporting event for much of 2022 and Canadian sports betting sites are ready for the flame to be lit.

109 gold medal events, incorporating seven sports and 15 different disciplines, means plenty of betting opportunities for everyone.

Of course, some countries take winter sports more seriously than others. Jamaica, with its world-renowned bobsleigh team, is particularly keen on that one event at least!

But in all seriousness, Norway, Austria, Sweden and many Canadians are fanatical about several things involving snow, ice, skis and skates.

When Are the Winter Olympics?

The opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics will get underway on Friday. However, a few competitions will have already begun. Meanwhile, the first gold medals will be awarded on Saturday and festivities will end on Sunday, February 20, when the last four medal events will be decided.

Where Is The 2022 Winter Olympics?

China won the bid to stage the Winter Olympics in 2015 and it chose Beijing as the host city.

The city is in a unique position as the first place to host both Summer and Winter editions of the Olympics. Many venues used for the 2008 Summer Olympics are being used for a second time, but obviously for different sports.

For example, the National Indoor Stadium, once used for rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and handball, will now host hockey.

Can You Bet On The Winter Olympics?

The Winter Olympics betting odds have markets open on which country will land the most gold medals, and also who will grab the most medals total.

At -600 Norway is the favourite to win the most gold medals at the Games. ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) follow at +800, Germany is +900 and Canada is +1600.

Norway is the favourite to win the most overall medals on new betting sites, but at -400 only the very brave will be tempted. But everyone should admire the nation’s Winter Games exploits given their population is only 5.3 million.

Like the marathon at the Summer Olympics, the winter version has its own centrepiece event. That is the Men's Downhill Skiing. Scheduled for Sunday, it is likely to be a betting highlight.

What Are The Best Winter Olympic Sports To Bet On?

In 2022 there is no definitive favourite in the Men's Downhill. However, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt will be a very short price to land the Men's Giant Slalom and is one of the best bets for gold at Winter Olympics.

The 24-year-old has been a win-machine this season and he will probably start as odds-on favourite for that race.

Britain’s Dave Ryding became the oldest winner of a men's World Cup slalom gold when winning last weekend. He’s +2500 with 888sport to win his second major race at the Olympics. It is very unlikely but identifying the winner of this discipline is difficult.

In women’s skiing the slalom is a straight fight between the USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova of Slovakia. The former has had the better season, but Shiffrin win in the final slalom before the games.

Given the country’s geographic position, you might be surprised to learn that Canada’s summer Olympians outperform their winter counterparts to date (326 medals to 199). However, it has claimed more golds in the Winter Olympics (73 to 71), despite having far less chances and events to claim the top prize in.

Canada goes into Beijing with hopes of being high up the medal table and will look to improve upon is last outing in 2018 at Pyeongchang it had 29 medals, including 11 golds.

Those golds came in bobsleigh, figure skating, freestyle skiing, curling, speed skating and snowboarding.

All eyes will be on curling and hockey especially, however the fact that NHL players won't be involved is a huge blow to the chances of their men’s team. But, Canada’s women’s team is a -110 favourite on bet365 for the gold.

Team Canada is the +300 frontrunner to score victory in Women’s Curling, and the Mixed Doubles and Men’s Curling teams are expected to compete for gold as well.

Strong ROC Can Give Norway Problems

Hockey is normally a real crowd pleaser but with players from the NHL unable to play at the Games, this looks an easy open goal for the ROC at +150 when it comes to betting on the Winter Olympics.

Norway took 39 medals at the last Olympics, and it could get as many as 45 this year. Half of those could come from the Biathlon and Cross-Country events. However, the ROC has some very strong candidates, and it could pull off some wins in the combined 23 events.

In Speed Skating, The Netherlands took 20 medals at the last Olympics, 14 were golds or silver.

The ROC can enjoy a similar dominance in Figure Skating – 15-year-old Kamila Valieva is the odds-on favourite in the Women’s Free Skate – but there are only five medal events in the sport.

USA For The Scraps?

Team USA is sending 222 athletes, but it is an aging team. There are four five-time Olympians on the roster: Snowboarders Lindsey Jacobellis and Shaun White, Curler John Shuster and Katie Uhlaender, who goes in the Skeleton.

All but 54 of their athletes have contested at least one Winter Olympics in the past. There is no clear sport the country will excel in, but should take home a cross-section of medal winners.

The latest forecast is 22 medals for the U.S., with seven golds.