2020 Olympic baseball betting odds
The Summer Olympics is packed with leading sports and that includes baseball which made an unofficial debut in 1904 at the Olympic Games in the United States of America, with the sport having sporadically made an appearance since that point.
There was baseball at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, with this being regarded as an exhibition sport and spectators enjoyed the opportunity to watch the United States clashing with Sweden. The sport also returned to the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1936 when we saw two teams from the United States clashing.
Baseball Becomes an Olympic Medal Sport in 1992
At the 1992 Olympic Games, baseball enjoyed its debut as an official medal sport, with eight teams competing against each other in Barcelona. It was Cuba who were able to come out on top after a round robin stage was followed by a knockout phase, with Chinese Taipei coming home with a silver medal.
Japan were the bronze medallists after claiming third place, with the United States having missed out in the third-place play-off, with Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Italy and Spain among the other teams who competed in this competition.
In 1996, we saw Cuba retain their mantle as champions by securing another gold medal, with Japan banking the silver medal on this occasion and the United States were only able to land the bronze despite the tournament being hosted on home soil.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, we saw the United States of America land their first ever gold medal at the Sydney Games, with Cuba landing the runner-up spot and also the silver medal, while South Korea secured a bronze medal.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Cuba landed gold, while the 2008 Games saw South Korea secure the spoils before no baseball took place at the 2012 and 2016 Games, with this making a welcome return in 2020.
Who Are Favourites to Win 2020 Baseball at the Olympics?
Japan are the host nation at the 2020 Olympic Games and they are also baseball betting favourites to claim a gold medal, with the bookies not taking any chances about a team who might be best prepared of all when it comes to the participating nations.
The United States of America are likely to send a strong team to Tokyo despite missing some of the best baseball players from this country and they’re among the betting favourites to secure a medal, while South Korea are third favourites and they also have a strong track record when it comes to international baseball.
Mexico and Dominican Republic are the other sides who are likely to feature at the business end of the 2020 Summer Olympics, with Israel regarded as the rank outsiders.