Almost a century since the games’ fabled establishment, 2022 will mark the 24th iteration of the prestigious competition as a vast collection of the world’s most esteemed and decorated winter athletes will compete to determine who will walk away with the illustrious gold medals that are now firmly up for grabs.
The 2022 Winter Olympic games will officially be hosted by China, and more specifically, the country’s capital Beijing and as such any nearly housed destinations in the vicinity of Hebei which features a range of mountainous terrain perfect for the upcoming events.
Much like the Summer Olympic games, the winter rendition only takes place across a four-year period making it a highly broadcasted and immensely hyped tournament ahead of the onset of the upcoming event.
This year’s Winter Olympic games is shaping up to be a must-watch for all sporting fanatics and has only continued to mount a greater interest in the years since the 2018 tournament that was famously hosted in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Any betting fans who are looking to place any future wagers for the upcoming events are now able to participate in online sports betting for this year’s Winter Olympics for a range of sporting events, with 888 Sport offering fantastic odds on all events.
Fans who are looking to tune into the event should also mark their calendars for the opening ceremony which takes place on the 4th of February, with the games running for a large remainder of the month before officially closing on the 20th of February.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, it’s important to look at which teams are seen as the perennial favourites for the event given the star quality that they are expected to provide and the vast experience that any of their athletes may have gained in the previous rendition of the games.
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Norway:
Some sports fans who have never tuned into a broadcast of any prior Winter Olympic games event may be quite surprised to learn that Norway are currently the all-time most successful country at the Winter Olympics.
With a total of 368 medals since the events inception (132 being gold), Norway remains the most fruitful and respected country that participates in the games.
Norway will also remain as firm favourites to top the ranks at this year’s games given how dominant they were in the 2018 Winter Olympics with an impressive total of 39 medals (14 gold), which helped the Norwegian’s claim top spot over Germany in second place.
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Germany:
As stated above, Germany was just short of claiming a top spot in the Winter Olympics for the first time since the 2006 games held in Turin, Italy.
While Germany has not been able to replicate their successful stints throughout the games’ earlier renditions, the nation has been able to provide viewers with a wide extent of phenomenal performances from a number of their top athletes.
The 2018 event saw Germany complete a podium sweep of the Nordic combined Individual large hill at ten kilometres with Johannes Rydzek taking home the gold medal alongside his fellow countrymen Fabian Riessle and Eric Frenzel taking silver and bronze.
Given that Germany is always in the running for a place atop of the standings, it will come as no surprise that they will remain as likely contenders to lay claim to the upcoming games given the overlapping talent that the nation still upholds for such an event.
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United States:
The US have shown that they are not only one of the most successful nations to ever participate in the Summer Olympics but are just as increasingly successful across the Winter games interpretations as well.
While the US’ 2018 Winter Olympic games were certainly more viewed as being of great disappointment given their unexpected fourth place finish in the standings, this will still likely not deter any fans from picking the US as a major contender for the upcoming sporting events.
After finishing below both Germany and Norway, as well as their neighbouring counterparts Canada, the US is looking to bounce back into the contention at the now imminent games as they are still yet to lay claim to a first placed finish in the final standings since they first participated in 1956, with the US’ closest attempt being their runner-up finish to eventual winners Germany in 2006.
Given how strong and lively both Norway and Germany are both raring up to be at the 2022 iteration, this will be a tough uphill battle for the US, but one that will be more than able to withstand.
No matter who fans may clash and claim to be the perennial favourite to sit atop of this year’s standings, the 2022 Winter Olympics are now looming ever closer with fans now yearning to witness the world’s greatest stars battle it out to determine who is walking away with a gold medal strapped around their neck.
