Steve Starr
- Bovada has odds on the men’s and women’s volleyball events at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games
- The sport returns to the place where it made its Olympic debut in 1964
- Reigning gold medalists Brazil and the People’s Republic of China are the teams to beat in the men’s and women’s competitions.
In both men and women’s volleyball at Tokyo 2020, the 12 teams are divided into two pools of six teams with each pool playing a round-robin. The top four teams in each pool will then advance to the quarterfinals when the competition transitions to a single knock-out system.
For the first time ever, the competition will conclude with the women’s final on Sunday, August 8, just a few hours ahead of the closing ceremonies and one day after the men’s gold is decided.
Starting on the women’s side, let’s look at what countries are favored to top the podium.
Tokyo 2021 – Women’s Volleyball
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| China | +200 |
| USA | +200 |
| Brazil | +300 |
| Serbia | +500 |
| Russia | +1600 |
| Japan | +2000 |
| Italy | +2500 |
| Turkey | +4000 |
| Dominican Republic | +10000 |
| South Korea | +10000 |
| Argentina | +20000 |
| Kenya | +50000 |
China defends gold medal
Only five nations have won Olympic gold in women’s volleyball: the former Soviet Union (four golds), Cuba and China (three), Brazil and Japan (two). Coached by Lang Ping, who won gold as a player at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and as a coach four years ago in Rio, China (+200) is the co-favorite with the United States (+200), who they defeated at the 2019 FIVB Women’s World Cup.
Brazil (+300) captured back-to-back Olympic gold medals in London 2012 and Rio 2016 before failing to place in 2020. Serbia (+500) won the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship and a silver in Brazil five years ago. Russia (+1600) might also be a nice sleeper after placing third at the aforementioned 2019 World Cup.
Diving and volleyball became the first Olympic test events to include international athletes since such competitions resumed last month, as both got under way under close supervision in Tokyo.#Sportshttps://t.co/6KRJuV92lO
— News18 Sports (@News18Sports) May 1, 2021
Tokyo 2021 – Men’s Volleyball
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| Brazil | +225 |
| USA | +330 |
| Russia | +450 |
| Poland | +500 |
| Italy | +900 |
| France | +1200 |
| Argentina | +4000 |
| Iran | +5000 |
| Japan | +6600 |
| Canada | +8000 |
| Venezuela | +50000 |
Brazil and Poland are the best bets
Brazil (+225) is the favorite after going undefeated throughout the 2019 FIVB World Cup season. They missed the podium while playing in front of their hometown fans in 2016, but won silver in both 2008 and 2012. The Brazilians also finished runner-up at the 2018 World Championships to Poland, who seems a bit undervalued at +500.
The Poles haven’t experienced Olympic success in the competition, but they have one of the world’s best players in Wilfredo Leon, who is known as the ‘Cristiano Ronaldo of volleyball’ and was named best outside spiker in the 2019 FIVB World Cup Dream Team – a tournament they finished second in.
With many in Japan jittery over holding the world’s largest sports event amid a pandemic, organizers released new guidelines for the Tokyo Summer Games. https://t.co/WxLFajbI4p
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) April 29, 2021
Other worthy contenders include the United States (+330), which finished third in both the 2019 FIVB World Cup and the 2018 World Championships, and Russia (+450), which took home the gold in London 2012.
On the men’s side, we think Poland is the best value at +500, while the Russian women’s +1600 odds are too good to pass up.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
