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.
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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.
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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.
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Still Here? Other 2024 Summer Olympics Reads
- Team USA Men’s Basketball Preview
- Team USA Women’s Basketball Preview
- How to Bet on 2024 Paris Games
