Due to its close association with good fortune, the number eight holds special status in a superstitious Chinese culture , which is also very keen on gambling, and will undoubtedly be betting on the 2008 Olympics. Nothing is however, being left to chance by the organisers in the run-up to the event. This even extends (unbelievably) to tracking Olympic food from farm to fork using a Global Positioning System.
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Punters Should Avoid Poor Value Specials Bets Punters interested in betting on the 2008 Beijing Olympics– featuring 302 events across 28 disciplines - should show a similar attention to detail in choosing the right bookmaker to bet on the event, as the hosts have in their preparations. Simply put, if you want more profit from betting on the Olympics, use a low commission online bookie like PinnacleSports.com, who’ll be offering up to 60% better odds on Olympics betting markets than traditional bookmakers. The Olympics - along with track and field in general – haven’t traditionally been considered a staple betting medium. However, in an increasingly competitive industry, bookmakers’ markets are continually expanding into new territories, hence the proliferation of Olympics betting. There will undoubtedly be a multitude of patriotic specials to entice novice punters on the back of a two minute segment on the BBC, and the universal popularity of the Olympics, but such bets generally offer poor value. Serious punters would do well to do their own research and focus on two-way bets, the most obvious prior to the Olympics centring on the Medals Table betting, for which PinnacleSports.com currently offer best value, priced to less than 103%. You can bet now at PinnacleSports.com on the total Olympics medals won for eight top countries - USA, China, Russia, Germany, Australia, Great Britain, Italy and France. If the Olympics betting market you are looking for isn't available now, keep checking back as new options are being added all the time. The important point for punters to understand about the medals table is that rankings are sorted by number of Gold, and only when tied, do silver medals (or if necessary bronze) come into consideration. The message is clear – it is all about the Gold.The Chinese know the world is watching and they will want the view to be memorable. The expectation of flawless organisation, must be matched by success in competition. China has tried to shake off an inferiority complex for decades, so triumph as hosts is imperative.Jump to full schedule of 2008 Olympic events, times and betting China Once the Sick Man of East Asia China was once known in sporting circles as the ‘Sick Man of East Asia’, sending just a single athlete to the Los Angeles games on its debut in 1932. How times have changed... Helped by an unprecedented economic boom, and an unrivalled approach to the science of winning, China has high hopes of making the psychological breakthrough of becoming number one in the medals table ahead of the USA. This would provide a hugely symbolic achievement for a nation that is equally ambitious to become the strongest in political, military and industrial terms. China’s ultimate aim is to dislodge the Americans from the top of the medals table. This is a position the US have held since the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, where China ranked fourth behind Germany and Russia. Since then China has been steadily improving, jumping to third behind the Russians in 2000, while in Athens four years ago, they continued their improvement, be move within four gold medals of the USA in second overall position. China Bidding to Make Great Leap Forward in Medals Table All preparations have been focused on making the symbolic ‘great leap forward’ to no.1 in Beijing. Home status combined with the extraordinary level of preparation that hosting the Olympics has ushered in, are expected to help China leap-frog the United States. Italian Olympic official, Luciano Barra, is the organisations’ chief medal statistician. In his final prediction for Beijing that he made last December, Barra stated that the USA - with 98 medals and 47 gold -would stay ahead of China with 89 overall medals and 38 gold (Russia in third with 88 medals and 32 gold). This was an amendment to an earlier prediction which had forecast that the Chinese would be ahead with 45 golds to America’s 41 with Russia gaining 34. Barra is extremely well respected after making similar forecasts for several previous Olympics. The Italian statistician bases his predictions on the most recent World Championships or the equivalent events for sports that do not hold them. However, before going to PinnacleSports.com to plunge on the US in the Olympics Medals Table market, punters should be aware that Barra’s accuracy hasn’t always been spot on. Barra under estimated the US medal haul in Athens by 30, and over-stated China’s success by eight. The Americans have downplayed their chances, saying that the Chinese have outspent them, - and will benefit from a huge territorial advantage. Punters, shouldn’t however, read too much into this posturing. Other predictions paint a different picture. Research undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University (England) suggests China will win 46 Gold medals. Professor Shibli analysed past Olympic performance, China's record in turning bronze and silver medals into gold ones, and recent success on the international stage to reach his conclusions. Shibli estimated the value of home support at seven gold medals, added to 39 Gold medals that he calculated China’s hugely accelerated training system warrants.Jump to full schedule of 2008 Olympics events, times and betting China has been tainted by accusations of doping. However, most observers feel China has been trying to clean up its image particularly after the humiliation of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, when the Chinese authorities withdrew 27 athletes from their team after they failed last-minute blood-doping tests.In recent years, foreign coaches have been employed to speed up progress in sports where there simply isn’t the know-how, and the numbers speak for themselves. At the Sydney Games in 2000, China won 28 gold medals, moving up to third in the rankings. Four years ago in Athens, China's gold haul reached 32, including Liu Xiang's 110m hurdles medal, the second ever podium finish for a Chinese male athlete in the track and field. Only the United States - with 35 golds - did better. China Targets Winnable Events China has left no stone unturned in its quest to rule the medals table, realising its limitations, and choosing to focus on those areas it sees as winnable, rather than simply setting out to beat everyone at anything. The Chinese Sports Ministry is realistic enough to know that with an extremely poor record in track and field events, they aren’t likely to win Gold in the 100 metres anytime soon. After creating a comprehensive scouting system - starting from pre-school - has cut its cloth accordingly. China has made a science out of targeting winnable Gold medals, while accepting that it will likely fill fewer podium positions in silver and bronze. This is seen as an acceptable compromise in the single-minded pursuit of their goal. There should be few doubts over China’s chances of grabbing gold in table-tennis, diving, badminton and women’s weightlifting (traditionally very strong disciplines), whereas the US are strong in the pool with 12 Golds gained in Athens, and eight from track and field. PinnacleSports.com have priced the USA 2.390* to win over 96.5 medals, and 1.671* to win under 96.5 medals; China are priced 2.410* to win over 100 medals and 1.662* to win under 100 medals - Olympics medals betting markets priced to only 102%. Rumoured 3,200 Athletes in Full Time Training It is estimated that there are more than 3,200 Chinese in full-time training for the Olympics. This is twice the number who prepared for Athens and five times more than will be in China's 2008 team - illustrating the determination to field only the very best medal chances. New games such as softball and beach volleyball were introduced and funded purely because they offered the possibility of medals. Women's events were targeted, as the path to success was seen to be easier. Athletes were brought in from other sports to create 'instant' national teams that went straight into full-time training. The betting at PinnacleSports.com has China and the USA neck-and-neck for the aggregate of podium of finishes, one of a huge range of head-to-head markets especially put together for the Olympics. The Olympics may only come along once every four years, but PinnacleSports.com prices it Olympics markets with the same low margin pricing to offer consistent value to the player. This means that punters at leading online bookmaker, PinnacleSports.com, can get up to 60% better odds on the Olympics than at other bookmakers.Alongside an obsessive determination to succeed, the Chinese are also prodigious gamblers. In an unprecedented move to keep illegal gambling and match-fixing out of the Olympics, the IOC sent out a media release in June announcing that they have set up a special unit to check for suspicious betting patterns during the Beijing Games. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said that agreements have been signed with major betting companies for the first time to monitor any irregular gambling during the Aug. 8-24 games. This alone should demonstrate that despite the ‘One World, One Dream’ slogan, the Olympics are now a serious betting medium, so for a serious bookmaker, look no further than PinnacleSports.com – the smarter way to bet the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Best Olympic Betting Odds at PinnacleSports.com2008 Beijing Olympics Betting Odds at the Pinnacle Sports book including Olympics medals table betting. The Pinnacle Sports betting lines gives gamblers the best odds on the 2008 Beijing Olympics for betting online with odds worth up to 60% more than other bookmakers on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Pinnacle Sportsbook betting odds on the 2008 Beijing Olympics offer the same outstanding value as betting on all major International sporting events. 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