Do host countries have better chances of winning more Olympic medals?

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

As we are getting closer to the ultimate sporting event- the Olympic Games- which is going to be held this summer in Paris, everyone gets to make their own, subjective predictions over how countries will perform, which teams are going to win the most gold medals, which nations will prevail and so forth.

A quick look at the odds and markets offered by betting sites around the world, including sports betting sites in Philippines, can give you an idea that the chances of countries’ performance in the forthcoming Olympic Games have already been compiled by oddsmakers pretty much in a consistent manner. More to this, if you go through thebodds you will notice that the host country is always high in the rankings of the nations that are expected to win many Olympic medals and while sometimes this is fairly justified by the team’s dynamics, quality, and overall composition, sometimes it seems that it’s not so realistic.

Getting closer to the staging of the Games, makes bettors wonder whether it is a good idea to wager on a nation’s overall performance and more specifically on the host nation’s performance. Experts suggest that there is such thing as the host nation’s advantage when it comes to the Olympics and this is what justifies for the most part the fact that we are often witnessing host countries taking up more top positions than one would expect or anticipate if the Games were to be hosted anywhere else in the world, but the specific nation.

Betting on a host nation’s performance has already become a popular strategy for many punters who are employing a more sophisticated approach to wagering. Taking into account statistics and past records, these punters generally find greater value in backing the host nation to win a large share of the total medals being awarded by the end of the Olympics. So, in case you are wondering whether it is a good idea to bet on the host nation, just think that many pro bettors are doing it as well.

Let’s see how this whole host nation advantage is built up.

The most obvious impact of the context wherein the event takes place and the games are held has to do with the familiarity and feelings of security that all athletes have when they are at home. Most teams and athletes are familiar with the venues the Games are staged at and so this brings them one step ahead of the competition because they are likely to know the basic strengths and weaknesses and adjust their strategies accordingly. Plus, being in familiar places and sporting facilities, gives them extra security and reduces the stress of the unknown.

The host nation’s advantage in the Olympics is also a matter of psychology, which is influenced by a number of factors that are linked to the context. Athletes who are at home don’t feel the fatigue, the mental pressure, or the fragile psychology that athletes from all around the world feel coming to a foreign country and possibly experiencing a perceived “hostility”, which although might be totally in their mind, it remains extremely consuming and discouraging. Home nations teams have all the positive things in placebbefore they start competing and they feel confident, relieved, and less burdened.

Of course, it is also the matter of public’s support as well, which is profoundly more explicit and more intense for the host country’s teams. Athletes playing at home have that extra burden to make their nation stand out in the Olympic Games, but they get to enjoy tremendous support and boost from the crowd. It’s pretty much obvious that the majority of visitors and spectators in the Olympics are people who live in the country and so they are more than certain to show their active support and cheer for the national team athletes.

And then it is another thing that many people don’t take into account, but it seems to have a strong effect on the host nation’s performance. We are talking about the countries’ funding for athletes that are sent to the Games, with host nations doubling or even tripling their investment over the build-up of national teams in order to make sure that they are going to mark their time of hosting the event as their most successful performance as well.

For these aforementioned factors, and many more to be honest, the host nation’s advantage is said to be valid when it comes to the Olympic Games. So, if you have been reluctant on whether home teams and athletes have greater chances of winning more medals, just think that they are in a much more advantaged and privileged position than the rest of the participants and so this must have some role to play! And if you are thinking of online betting on the host country, just go for it.

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