Sometimes the sheer breadth of the games is overwhelming. We can’t watch it all, but how do we know which events to watch? Here are some of my picks for the most interesting events to watch this Olympics. Let me know if I missed your favorite!

Basketball – Its all been downhill since Barcelona’s Dream Team finished 8-0 with a gold medal. But a disappointing bronze finish in Athens has reenergized team USA. Superstars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant join this all star team of NBA players hoping to bring back the gold. Finishing the exhibition games 5 and 0, their first game is Sunday night against China, led by none other than 7’6” Houston Rockets’ star, Yao Ming. Hubdubbers prefer USA by a comfortable margin over rivals Spain and Argentina. More basketball questions

Who will win the men’s basketball at the Beijing Olympics?

Taekwondo –The last time three siblings qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in the same year was 1904 when Edward, Richard and William Tritschler all participated on the U.S. gymnastics team. None of them medaled, but siblings Mark, Diana and Steven Lopez all have a serious shot at gold medals.  Steven won gold in Athens and both Mark and Diana have won world championships. Talk about a family affair! I know I wouldn’t be betting against them, but Hubdub gives them only a one in four shot of each medaling.

Will the three Lopez kids medal in taekwondo at the Beijing Olympics?

Gymnastics – There are two drastically different stories in gymnastics this year. For the women, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, two of the best gymnasts in the world, hope to lead team USA to gold. The men, devastated by the loss of Gold medalist Paul Hamm and twin Morgan Hamm, will likely be sidelined by a dominant Chinese team led by Yang Wei. More gymnastics questions

Olympics: Which country will win the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, Team All Around Gold?

Olympics: Which country will win the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics, Team All Around Gold?

Well that’s it for me. The opening ceremonies are now only hours away and hopefully you’ve got a couple of ideas about what you’re going to watch the next couple of weeks. Make sure to keep up with the markets while you’re watching!

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Image via WikipediaOnly one day to go until the opening the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (or 8 hours and 57 minutes to be exact). And despite pre-games injuries, US athletes causing offense and activists launching pre-game protests, I am incredibly excited to see the games kick off.

No matter what happens in the Olympics they are guaranteed to produce drama. Drama always produces great news stories and event better markets. That is why I am excited to announce the new Hubdub Olympic Prediction Center. In the Prediction Center we have pulled together over 250 Olympic markets for you to trade predictions on.

It is tough to pull out one market in particular but I am going to go with a contentious choice and predict that China is going to top the US in the medal tally (cue more hand wringing books on how the US has lost its competitive edge).

Which country will win the most gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

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This continues my blog about the Summer Games for dabblers. Make a small bet on one of these markets and you’ll be amazed at how much more fun you find the games!

Traditionally, the most popular Olympic events in the US are track and field – and its no coincidence that we tend to excel in many of the events. However, the recent doping scandals involving former superstars like Marion Jones has cast a pall over the sport.  As usual, the US will field a strong team this year but there are few well known athletes this time around.

Tyson Gay – America’s fastest man, Tyson Gay was expected to medal in both the 100m and 200m dash at the Beijing Olympics with a good shot double gold but a shocking cramp during the Olympic trials last month left him qualifying only for the 100m dash. He ran a wind aided 9.68 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded for the 100m and will remain a force to be reckoned with between the 100m and 4×100 relay, but the video of the cramp will likely be shown over and over (and over and over) anytime an Olympic announcer mentions his name.

Will Tyson Gay win any gold medals at the Beijing Olympics?

100m dash – Possibly the most anticipated (and hyped) match up of the Olympic games: three amazing athletes in the marquee event of the games. Jamaican teammates Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and the USA’s Tyson Gay all hold valid claims to the title of Worlds Fastest Man and now they will go head to head. Powell has held the record for quite some time, only to have it snatched away by Bolt at the end of May.  Tyson Gay, of course, has recently run the fastest time ever recorded for the 100m dash, a wind-aided 9.68 seconds. No matter who wins, there’s a definite chance the world record will fall again when these three men face each other in the finals on August 16th.

Will the 100m men’s world record in running be broken in the beijing olympics?

Liu Xiang - A relative unknown, Xiang shocked the world when he won the 110 hurdles in Athens. He was the first Chinese sprint gold medalist and has since become a mega-superstar in China (his legs are insured for over 13 million dollars!). But just to add to the drama, Cuban Dayron Robles broke Xiang’s two year old world record last month, so its clear he will have some heavy competition with the hopes of over a billion people resting on him (no pressure!). In fact many in China have said that this medal is the most important. (Finals are on August 21st)

Will China’s Liu Xiang win the 110m hurdles at the Olympics?

More track and field questions

Track and Field Olympic Schedule

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The start of the Olympics is just around the corner and the world is holding its breath…or at least I am.  There are so many stories that come out of the Olympic games that sometimes it is hard to keep up with them all. I’ll be sending out a couple blogs over the next week in the hopes of getting you prepared (and excited!) for the Beijing Olympics. Prediction markets are a great way to feel involved in the games and I’ve included some relevant markets to get you started.

 This Olympics is all about the eights with the Opening Ceremonies at 8pm on 8/8/8, so it seems fitting that my first post be 8 days prior! Here are a couple of the stories I’ll be following this month:

The Medal Tally:  The US has won the most gold medals in the past 3 Olympics. They beat China by 4 gold medals in Athens (39 medals overall) but now China is on its home turf. China’s pride is heavily invested in these games and they have been working hard to stack the deck in their favor. Although the US will likely continue to dominate in Athletics and Swimming, China has a good chance to sweep Diving, Table Tennis, Rowing and Sailing. It should be a very close race although Hubdub is currently favoring China nearly 2:1.

Bet on it     Read more

Pollution:  Since the moment China was announced as the 2008 hosts,  there have been concerns about the effect of Beijing’s pollution on the games.  Beijing’s’ thick, dense smog does not sit well with thousands of premier athletes attempting amazing feats of strength and skill. Although Beijing has made some major inroads in their pollution by reducing vehicle traffic and shutting down coal plants, the city has been shrouded in gray for the past several days. Officials remain hopeful that shifting winds,  further reductions in emissions and new cloud seeding technology will clear the skies for the events, but it remains a major concern.  In fact, to lessen their exposure to the noxious air, many athletes are choosing to skip the Opening Ceremonies entirely and remain in nearby Japan and Korea until their events.

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Human Rights: These games are China’s entry onto the world stage. More than anything, they want to be seen as civilized, powerful and a legitimate superpower.  However, the torch relay was marred this year by continued protests of China’s human right’s violations and another flare up in Tibet caused further bad press just when the Chinese wanted it least. It remains to be seen how prominently boycotts and protests will play in these games.

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More Olympics questions

Next up: Track and Field!

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By Diana

Upheaval and protest have followed the Olympic torch since it began its worldwide journey on April 1, 2008. Reports of violence, numerous arrests, and coverage of the torch being extinguished is widespread. Pro-Tibet and human rights protesters have confronted torchbearers and security guards alike and with many days to go until the August 8, 2008 opening ceremony, there appears to be little sign of the demonstration’s slowing worldwide.

London’s April 6, 2008 portion of the relay was met with heavy resistance when protesters, voicing against China’s position on Tibet and Darfur, attempted to grab the torch and hinder the procession. It was also reported that one protester tried to extinguish the torch’s flame with what appeared to be a fire extinguisher.

Crowds along the torch route shouted “Free Tibet!” and “China, talk to Dalai Lama!”, wielding posters displaying anti-Chinese foreign policy slogans. 37 people were arrested for assorted offenses.

The following day, the Olympic torch faced more disquiet in San Francisco have already begun to experience protest prior to the torch’s arrival, which occurred this morning.
Two days ago, a pair of extremely large banners reading “One World One Dream. Free Tibet” and “Free Tibet 08″ were on display after three activists climbed a suspension cable of the Golden Gate Bridge. Rumor of a larger high-tech insurgency planned in association with The San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition is said to unveil a “viral video,” or a video clip, designed to raise awareness about China’s ties to Sudan and the Darfur conflict just in time for Wednesday’s parade in the Bay Area. Tensions are high for this afternoon’s two-and-a-half-hour relay along the San Francisco waterfront.

With over a hundred days to go until the torch’s arrival in Beijing, the emblem for the Olympic spirit, now a highly politicized symbol of international disunity, is threatened at every turn. Security agents and local police forces will struggle against waves of demonstrators and protesters hoping to extinguish and confiscate the symbolic Olympic vestige are expected. Whether the torch shall remain in torchbearer hands today or if the entire torch relay will be abandoned, has yet to be determined.

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