Bookmakers Pessimistic About Canada Olympic Medal Count
Team Canada is excited about being in the English capital, but UK bookmakers aren't quite sure that the Canadians will be pleased by the end of the Olympics.
While specialists in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated believe that the Canadians could win anything from 17 - 20 medals (four of them gold), British bookies are on the pessimistic side.
In fact, four of London's major bookmakers don't think give Team Canada the chance of winning any event during the Games.
An example can be seen with Ladbrokes, which has odds of only 20-1 that Canada's Women's soccer team will win gold, with Jennifer Abel, Canada's star diver, given only odds of 16-1 to win her events. Even 2011 world silver medalist shot putter, Dylan Armstrong has been given odds of 8-1 at Ladbrokes.
At some bookmakers, however, a member of Team Canada has found his or her way up the odds list, such as kayaker Adam van Koeverden (11-4).
Canada is also expected to do well in rowing events and women's cycling.
UK Bookmakers Not a True Reflection
The pessimistic tone set at UK bookmaker sites shouldn't deter Canadian Olympic supporters however. It should be remembered that bookies traditionally base their odds on not only on the athlete or team's probability of winning, but also on what fans are most likely to back.
It stands to reason, then, that UK sports bettors will back their home grown talent, while Canadian gamblers will back their own teams and athletes at Canadian facing sports betting sites such as Bodog.
COC Wants Place in Top 12
In the meantime, the Canadian Olympic Committee isn't putting any undue pressure on the team by saying how many medals it hopes to see back home after the London Games.
All the Committee would say is that it hoped to come in the top 12 countries overall. In the last games in Beijing, Team Canada took home 18 medals - coming in 14th overall.
"We know that our objective for these Olympics is ambitious," said the Executive Director of Communications for COC, Dimitri Soudas. "But our athletes are relentless, fierce and very excited."
Daniel Johnson, an economics professor from Colorado who regularly makes correct Olympic medal predictions, believes that Canada Olympic medals will number 17, of them four gold medals, while the Canadian Press may just be pushing it by predicting a 22 medal stash for the Canucks.
