France will be the center of attention in the sports world for two-plus weeks beginning on Friday, when the 2024 Summer Olympics begin with the Opening Ceremony in Paris. This marks the third time — and first in a century — the capital city will host the Summer Games and sixth time the country welcomes the world’s top athletes, as the Winter Games were held in France on three occasions — most recently in 1992 in Albertville. Roughly 1,000 medals will be awarded during the 2024 Paris games, with an estimated 10,500 athletes from 206 countries — as well as a team comprised of refugees– participating in 329 events across 32 different sports. The United States has dominated the Summer Olympics since their inception in 1896, winning 2,629 total medals and 1,061 golds in 28 editions. The former Soviet Union ranks second in both categories with 1,010 and 395, respectively.
The Americans are -3300 favorites to win the most medals and -500 to bring home the most golds in the latest 2024 Olympics odds. China is +1100 for the most overall medals and +375 for most golds, while Great Britain is third for most total medals at +2800 and France is third for most golds at +3300. Before locking in any 2024 Summer Olympics medal futures or predictions, you need to see what SportsLine Olympic insider Dan O’Brien has to say.
O’Brien is a highly decorated decathlete who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, becoming the first American to accomplish the feat since Bruce Jenner 20 years earlier. O’Brien also is a five-time U.S. champion and three-time world champion in the event, and he held the decathlon world record from 1992-99 and the heptathlon world record from 1993-2010. As a result of his achievements, O’Brien is a member of the USATF, USOC and IAAF Halls of Fame.
Now, O’Brien has broken down the 2024 Olympics from every possible angle and revealed which countries you should back on the medal table and which ones you should completely avoid. You can visit SportsLine now to see his 2024 Summer Olympics medal picks.
Top 2024 Summer Olympics medal count predictions
O’Brien is predicting that the United States once again will capture the most medals at the Olympic Games. The Americans have come away with the highest number of medals in each of the last eight Summer Olympics and 18 of the 28 in which they have participated. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, they collected 113 medals — 24 more than second-place China.
The last time the Americans did not sit atop the medal table was in the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, where they finished with 108 — four behind the Unified Team. They began their current run of dominance when they hosted the Olympics in Atlanta four years later, amassing 101 medals to finish 36 ahead of Germany. Team USA led the 2000 Sydney Games with 94 medals and have reached triple figures in each of the following five Olympics.
“They always win the most medals, plain and simple,” O’Brien told SportsLine. “I expect the Americans to win the medals they’re supposed to win and come home with some that maybe no one expected them to win.” See more predictions from O’Brien at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Olympics medal count picks
O’Brien has analyzed the 2024 Paris Olympics from every angle and revealed which countries to back and fade, including a longshot who has a chance to shock the world with its medal count. He’s only sharing his picks here.
Who is O’Brien backing to win the most medals at the 2024 Olympic Games, and which nation will shock the world? Visit SportsLine now to see Dan O’Brien’s 2024 Summer Olympics medal futures bets and analysis, all from the 1996 Olympic decathlon gold medalist who also is a three-time world champion in the event.
