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Paris Games 2024 Primer: 5 Interesting Summer Olympic Storylines & Facts
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Written by: Devon Platana
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Before getting into this 2024 Paris Summer Olympics primer, be sure to check out BetOnline. BetOnline is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options regarding the Paris Games, including when it comes to Olympic gold medal odds.
It’s hard to imagine that the 2024 Summer Olympics are just over one week away. Dozens of countries will head to Paris, France beginning on Friday, July 26 as they prepare to compete for worldwide bragging rights.
With an event as big as the Olympics, it isn’t shocking that there’s a lot to take in from the history to the pageantry and all the storylines in between. Such an information overload can be overwhelming to some people, which is why Betting News is here to make life easier.
Here’s a look at five of the most interesting storylines and facts heading into the 2024 Paris Games.
Summer Olympics 2024: 5 Interesting Storylines & Facts Before Paris Games
1. How Will Team USA Basketball Perform?
When it comes to the Summer Olympics, the United States excels at various sports — especially basketball. Since 1936, the American men have won a world-leading 16 gold medals in basketball — including the last four in a row. Meanwhile, the women have won nine of a possible 12 gold medals and have emerged as the No. 1 country in each of the last seven Summer Games.
After all that dominance, it isn’t shocking to see the American men and women favored to win it all again this year. Team USA is currently favored at -450 odds to win gold in men’s basketball while also being the -1250 favorite to be victorious in the women’s bracket.
It’s likely also the last Olympics that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant joining up together. The superstar trio has already experienced their fair share of global success, leaving time to tell if they can win gold together before hanging up their sneakers.
There are some questions surrounding both sides though. The men have barely edged out wins over weaker opponents in their exhibition contests while the women fell 117-109 to the WNBA All-Stars over the weekend. It remains to be seen if those struggles follow them into the tournament.
At the end of the day, it’ll be shocking if either of Team USA’s basketball teams leave Paris without any gold.
2. Is Caeleb Dressel Still Among the World’s Best?
Iconic American swimmer Caeleb Dressel shocked a lot of people when he stepped away from the sport in 2022 to focus on his health. The Green Cove Springs, FL native is one of the greatest swimmers that the country has ever produced, racking up 31 gold medals between the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Pan Pacific Championships.
Dressel made his return to swimming in 2023, however, it took him a while to get back into the swing of things. An eight-month hiatus clearly took its toll on his performance, leaving time to tell if he was still among the world’s best after failing to qualify for last year’s World Championships.
Fortunately, Dressel is back in the mix following a strong showing at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials. He’s currently set to participate in the 50m freestyle where he holds the second-best odds (+200) to win it all on BetOnline. He’s also Bovada’s +300 favorite to win the men’s 100m butterfly and is a big reason why Team USA is the -300 favorite in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay.
If he can keep his past struggles at bay, Dressel could be one of the United States’ biggest performers in the coming weeks.
Get 50% up to $1,000 on your Summer Olympics betting picks at BetOnline
3. Fewer Events Than in Tokyo
The number of events at any given Olympics varies on an annual basis. When the Summer Games debuted in Athens back in 1896, only 43 events took place. That number increased all the way up to 306 events at the Rio Games before that number rose to 339 in Tokyo four years ago.
Having said that, the number of Olympic events has dropped down to 329 for the 2024 Paris Games. Although that number is more than seven times bigger than the inaugural count, losing out on various sports is bound to disappoint some fans across the globe.
While breakdancing will be debuting in Paris this year, events such as karate, softball, and baseball were shown the door. It’ll be interesting to see if those sports’ absence is noticeable by the time we get to the closing ceremonies.
Could we see those events return to the Summer Games when they head to Los Angeles in 2028? Time will tell.
4. New & Returning Events
Even though we won’t get to see karate or baseball in the coming weeks, a handful of new and returning events will take place at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Here’s a look at some of those events and why you should be excited about them:
- Breaking: As mentioned before, breakdancing is making its Olympic debut this summer. 16 men and 16 women will compete in head-to-head battles until a winner is crowned.
- Kayak cross: Water-based sports are some of the most popular aspects of the Olympics and now kayak cross is in the mix. Competitors will deal with upstream and downstream waters as they compete against each other instead of the clock for the first time.
- Kiteboarding: Sailing isn’t new to the Olympics, however, kite-boarding is. It’s similar to wakeboarding in the sense that combatants will duke things out in a race rather than a scored contest.
- Mixed walk race: 25 teams of one man and one woman will compete in a 40km relay race for the first time.
- Artistic swimming: Although artistic swimming has been a part of the Summer Games for 40 years, this marks the first time that men will compete against women.
Even though we’ll be missing some of the classics this year, the new events look like they could fill the void for now. That’s without mentioning how events that debuted in Tokyo four years ago — 3×3 basketball, skateboarding, surfing, etc. — are returning.
Get 50% up to $1,000 on your Paris Games betting picks at BetOnline
5. Olympic Medals Features Eiffel Tower Iron
One of the most interesting parts of the Olympics is seeing how the medals vary every four years. Not only do the designs change each Summer Games, but so does the composition of the gold.
For example, the 2024 Tokyo Olympics featured recycled electronic waste in their medal designs. The 2016 Rio Games also used recycled metals for the medals while the ribbon stemmed from recycled water bottles. It’s pretty interesting to see how the medals are both good for the environment while looking stellar in the process.
The Paris Games will also follow the uniqueness trend in a big way. This year’s Olympic medals contain pieces of the city’s iconic Eiffel Tower as cuts of iron from renovations were saved throughout the years. French luxury jewelry maker Chaumet then infused the iron with gold, silver, and bronze to create this year’s medals.
Not everyone can say that they have a piece of the Eiffel Tower around their neck, which shows you how cool it’ll be for the athletes who take home something this summer.
Still Here? Other 2024 Summer Olympics Reads
Devon is a Master of Journalism graduate who joined the sports betting world in 2020. His favorite leagues to cover are the NHL, NBA and NFL, and has a soft spot for fantasy football specifically. Outside of sports, he enjoys the finer things in life like pasta, live music and getting even more tattoos.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.
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![USA vs. France: Olympic Odds & Best Bets (8/10) On the other side of the bracket, it was France upsetting the Germany, despite a terrible shooting night from Victor Wembanyama. With the teams now set, let's jump into my favorite bets for the Gold Medal Game. Here are our best bets for the Olympic Men's Basketball Final; USA vs. France! Stephen Curry o14.5 Points (-106) BetOnline Victor Wembanyama o17.5 Points (+100) via BetOnline [sc name="betonline"][/sc] USA vs. France Game Information Bercy Arena;Paris, France Matchup Information Location: Bercy Arena; Paris, France Date: Thursday, August 10th, 2024 Tip-off: 3:30 PM EST Betting Odds Odds via BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world. Spread USA -16 (-113) France +16 (-107) Money Line USA (-1600) France (+890) Total Over 175.5 (-105) Under 175.5 (-115) Get 50% up to $1,000 on your picks today at BetOnline USA vs. France Analysis & Breakdown Steph Curry scored 36 points in the Semi-Final against Serbia. The American squad entered their Semi-Final game as a 17.5 point favorite over Nikola Jokic and this Serbian team. From the moment the game tipped off, you could see the urgency from Serbia. Serbia lead by 8 points after the 1st quarter and lead by as much as 17 points in the 3rd quarter. Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic had the Serbs humming, They combined for 37 points, 14 assists and they looked ready to upset this USA squad. The American superstars had something else in mind. In the final frame we finally saw Steve Kerr wake up and just put his best guys out there on the floor. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Lebron James were all the United States needed. They would go on to win the 4th quarter by 17 points and secure the 4 point win over Serbia. All it took was a 36 point near triple double from Steph and an actual triple double from Lebron James. The home team France come into this game as a 16 point underdog, looking to make a statement on their home court. Victor Wembanyama shot 4/17 from the field and 1/8 from 3, somehow it didn't make a difference. Rudy Gobert was demoted to the bench for their Semi-Final matchup with Germany and played just 5 minutes total; but it seemed to work. Gershon Yabusele finished with 17 points / 7 rebounds in the game and Isaia Cordinier poured in another 16 and 7 of his own. If France wants a realistic chance at Gold, they'll need Wemby to step up in a big way. Stephen Curry o14.5 Points (-106) via BetOnline – Get a $500 WELCOME BONUS Stephen Curry had 36 points in the Semi-Final game against Serbia Chef Curry was at it once again, this time in Paris. Steph finished with 36 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists; he went 9/14 from 3 and just hit big shot after big shot. The Americans were down big at some points during the game against Serbia, going down as much as 17. Every time the United States needed a big shot, it was Stephen Curry who answered. Down 17? Steph 3. Cut it down to single digits? Steph 3. Down 2 with 2 minutes left? Steph 3 to take the lead. After that last 3, the United States never looked back. They would go on to win 95-91 and now look like a lock for the Gold Medal. We're rolling with the hot hand in this matchup so we're going right back to Steph. Curry's struggled a little through the Olympics, but after his big game I'm ready to go right back. Stephen Curry o14.5 Points (-106) BetOnline Bonus Bet: Stephen Curry 20+ Points (+260) | 25+ (+750) Get 50% up to $1,000 on your picks today at BetOnline [sc name="betonline"][/sc] Victor Wembanyama o17.5 Points (+100) via BetOnline – Get a $500 WELCOME BONUS Victor Wembanyama is playing in his first of many, Olympic Games. Wemby was bad in the Semi-final. He shot 1/8 from 3 and unfortunately we were on his 3-pointers made. Victor saw 17 shot attempts in the game against Germany, putting down just 4 shots and getting to the line just 3 times. He's averaging just 13.5 points per game and shooting 37.5%and 27% from beyond the arc. The young prodigy is playing in just his first Olympic Games so you'll have to cut him a little slack. Tonight he faces off with most of the guys he grew up watching, including his idol, Kevin Durant. We saw Wemby with some big games during the NBA's regular season, averaging 23 points per game in 3 games against KD and the Suns. His best game came in early November, he finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds. Tonight, with a Gold Medal on the line, there's no bigger moment for the young star to show up. 30% off all Betalytics Packages, Code: BNEWS Victor Wembanyama o17.5 Points (+100) via BetOnline Bonus Bet: Victor Wembanyama 25+ 3s (+450) To Recap, Olympic Betting Insights for August 10th, 2024: In the USA vs. France game today, we're rolling with two plays. Stephen Curry o14.5 Points (-106) and we're rolling with Victor Wembanyama o17.5 Points (+100); both via BetOnline. [sc name="betonline"][/sc] [sc name="weekender-box"][/sc] Follow me on ‘X’ @VSaaauce for all my picks and sports takes you didn’t ask for! Follow Betting News on ‘X’ and Twitch and catch us on stream! Betting News on TikTok! Follow us for more picks, and news! In need of a sportsbook? Check out one of our favorites below and sign-up for a bonus! [sc name="cta-sportsbooks"][/sc] Still Here? More Betting Stories from Betting News! Paris Olympics 2024 Betting Guide Olympic Mens Soccer 2024 AL/NL MVP Predictions & Picks WNBA Rookie of the Year Predictions](/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.bettingnews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F08%2FGettyImages-2165395055-scaled-1.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
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