2018 Winter Olympics: Which Country Will Take Home the Most Hardware?

2018 Winter Olympics: Which Country Will Take Home the Most Hardware?

Christmas came early, folks. I didn’t think we’d have Olympic odds until the new year, but to my delight Bovada has started the madness a couple of months in advance.

We don’t have all of the individual event odds, but some of the heavy-hitters have already been posted. Let’s start with the overall medal count.

Total Medal Count

Back in 2014, my favorite country and a little place I like to call home, USA, took home 28 total medals—edging out Norway’s 26 for the overall crown for the second straight Olympics. However, Bovada is giving Germany the slight nod on the odds list.

Germany won the most medals in both the 2006 and 2002 Games before getting dethroned by the States. Despite both being dominant this century, the two countries wrack up their medals in very different fashion. While Germany has their way in events like cross country skiing and the luge, USA dominates snowboarding and downhill skiing, whilst wetting the beak a bit in various other events such as speed skating and figure skating.

One nation to look out for is Norway. Though they’re not exactly a world powerhouse and a complete non-factor in the summer games, they know what they’re doing when it comes to snow. They don’t really do well in most events, but they have quite a knack in the cross-country ski events. I assume this is because skiing across the country is a viable option in Scandinavia. You also have the biathlon, in which you cross country ski and then shoot a target, which I guess simulates skiing through the Norwegian forest, finding a deer, and firing away to bring home some dinner.

Last year, they took home 11 gold medals, a world best, and 10 of them were in “nordic” related events while the 11th was in downhill skiing.

Speaking of most gold medals…

Most Gold Medals

This is the category that a lot of people care about. In fact, if you look up past Olympics, the medal tables are sorted by gold medals, not total medals.

Though Norway won enough gold in 2014 to feed a small nation, Bovada still likes Germany. What is it with Bovada and Germany?

With Germany having a chance in a large variety of events, I suppose they deserve the best odds. If Norway botches a couple of cross country events, they are kind of screwed due to their lack of talent in other disciplines. By the way, who decides they want to be an Olympic cross country skier. If you’ve ever gone skiing, you know that the worst part is when you’re on flat ground and need to use effort.

Unlike the overall medal odds, USA’s chances are far slimmer in the gold medal odds. It wouldn’t be the first time the USA pulled off an upset at the Winter Olympics, though…

Check back for more coverage of the Olympic games as we inch closer to the February 9th opening ceremonies.