United States and China are the favourites for top gold medals at London 2012.  China lose their home team advantage and are not expected to beat the impressive number of gold medals won at Beijing 2008.  Bookmakers expect the USA to improve their gold medals during the London’s Olympics.

Team GB have a target of 48 medals this year.  An audacious target considering the record breaking performance at Beijing.  The most medals since 1920.  Will team GB’s home team advantage get them through?

Australia, USA, and China all have mega travel schedules to get to the UK and will not perform in front of familiar audiences.  Team GB’s 2008 medal totals consisted of 19 Gold, 13 Silver, and 15 Bronze.  Bronze medals are already building up.

Since 2008 £300m has been poured into Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK.  Now that’s got to be worth another medal right? Over the last 10 Olympics 90% have shown that the home side win more medals than in the previous competition.

One thing is certain.  There will be lots of competition at the top of the gold medal table.   Team GB had to relinquish the first silver medal to the 2008 silver medalists Japan after a pommel horse dispute after  tense final.  Team GB kept the bronze but still had to watch helplessly as Japan leaped over them on the podium.   Scandal has arisen over the USA coach accusing the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen of doping because she swam too quickly and beat the USA to the gold.  Tensions will build and the gold medal race continues.

Gold medal betting has been so popular with Pinnaclesports.com that they have closed the market.  Pinnacle Sports have a better than the exchange campaign where they shout about odds better than betting exchanges.  Obviously it has worked well.

On Betfair the USA are favourites with odds of 1.35 in the most overall medals market with China second favourites with odds of 3.8.