2024 Paris Olympics Schedule
Americans heavily favored to top medal count for fourth straight Summer Games
There’s about two weeks until the 2024 Paris Olympics officially open, which means you can begin placing your bets on some of the high-profile events in the City of Lights.
But true to form, the 2024 Paris Olympics schedule is a bit confusing, with events starting before the opening ceremonies July 26.
Luckily, we are here to help parse all that out.
Start with Swimming
There will be time trials and round-robin games in sports like beach volleyball, badminton, cycling and many others, and gymnastics will also swallow up the coverage though there are not betting odds available on team gymnastics medals as of July 10.
But swimming typically dominates the first-week primetime coverage in the United States and is likely to again for the Summer Olympics 2024.
The majority of Olympic swimming medals will be doled out by the end of the first week, which means all eyes will be on the pool between July 27-August 4.
- Odds for highly decorated American Katie Ledecky’s races are not yet available, but if you want to wager on an American, consider New York native Kate Douglass to win gold at +1400 in the 100-meter freestyle.
Douglass, a University of Virginia graduate who won bronze in the 200-meter at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has the fifth-shortest odds, trailing favorite Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia at +120.
The 100-free also has an American to consider wagering, though, like Douglass, Jack Alexy is not considered the favorite to win gold in that event.
- The New Jersey native, who swam collegiately at Cal-Berkeley, will be making his Olympic debut in Paris and has the third-shortest odds to win at +650.
Alexy is a distant third behind Zhanle Pan of China (-115) and David Popovici of Russia (+185). Popovici is also the favorite to win the 200-free in Paris (-190), with Luke Hobson of Reno, Nevada the American with the shortest odds in that event (+2300).
His technique is long, strong…and fast enough to become the Olympic champion?! 👀
Do you think David Popovici has what it takes to win gold in Paris? 🥇 pic.twitter.com/O4yMT1e9XN
— MySwimPro (@MySwimPro) July 9, 2024
Track (& Field)
Track events typically dominate the second week of the 2024 Paris Olympics Schedule, since swimming cedes the stage for Olympic fans looking for speed.
Legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt retired in 2017, making 2024 the second such without his presence.
Thus, Gainesville, Florida native Noah Lyles, who won bronze at the 200-meter at the 2021 Games, is considered one of the favorites to win multiple medals.
Lyles is a -210 favorite in the 200-meter but also has the second-shortest odds in the 100-meter, the race whose winner can lay claim to the title “fastest man in the world.”
Lyles has +165 odds to win gold at the 100-meter, trailing only Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
American Grant Holloway (-320) of Virginia is also a heavy favorite to win gold at the 110-meter hurdles.
On the women’s side of the track, the Americans also a great chance at dominating the 2024 Paris Olympics Schedule with Sha’carri Richardson (-180 at 100-meter), Sydney McLaughlin (-750 at 400-meter hurdles) favored to win her event, and Gabrielle Thomas (+160), McKenzie Long (+470) and Brittany Brown (+1600) among the favorites to win gold at the 200-meter race.
Don’t worry, field fans, we haven’t forgotten the other track-adjacent events.
- On the women’s side, Americans are favored to win the shot put, Chase Jackson (-125), and discus throw, Valarie Allman (-430) and Katie Moon (pole value, +200), Tara Davis-Woodhall (+340, long jump) and DeAnna Price (+185, hammer throw) each has the second-shortest gold medal odds in her event.
On the men’s field side, Americans Ryan Crouser (-170) and Joe Kovacs (+250) are Nos. 1-2 in shortest odds in the shot put.
Basketball Betting
Basketball will start July 27, and the gold medals in both men’s and women’s hoops will be handed out in the final weekend of the Olympic Games schedule.
There will be games to bet on once the teams get to Paris, but if you’re looking at Futures like the Americans to win gold in either men’s or women’s basketball, each is the favorite at minus-money odds.
The American men have superior value to the women (-1800) since the U.S. women have won the past seven gold medals in hoops, and there is far less parity in the women’s game globally.
- The U.S. men’s basketball team, which features NBA stars like Anthony Edwards, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James and is led by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, is -470 to win gold.
If you’re looking for value and want to bet on the U.S., you can wager on either the men’s or women’s 3×3 teams, who are among the favorites but have far-less certain odds.
- The U.S. men’s 3×3 team, which features former BYU star Jimmer Fredette on the roster, is +210 to win gold, and the women’s 3×3 team is a +105 favorite to win the gold.
The U.S. claimed women’s gold at the inaugural 3×3 event in the Tokyo Games three years ago, but its men’s team did not even qualify for those games. Thus, the U.S. 3×3 men’s team will be making its Olympic debut in Paris.
Medal Props
If you’ve read this far you are undoubtedly aware that the USA is a heavy favorite to finish atop the list of Olympic medals in Paris.
The Americans are a -2500 favorite to finish with the most medals and -750 to lead the world in gold medals won at the upcoming games.
- The U.S. has finished atop the medal count at the past three summer Olympics and six of the past seven Games held in the summer — only China in the 2008 Beijing Games snapped the U.S. stranglehold.
But if you’re looking for props to wager, you can take Over/Under 40.5 American gold medals at -120 for each side.
- If you’re not American, or are more interested in wagering on other countries medal counts like Canada (Over/Under 6.5 golds at -115) or Australia (Over/Under 15.5 golds at -115) you can do so as well.
For Olympics betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
