The wide range of disciplines and distances make swimming both exciting to watch, and an ideal sport to bet on.
From the blur of the short-course 25m freestyle to a 25K marathon, and everything in between, the sport is tailor made for betting where research can give you that crucial edge.
Upcoming swimming championships to bet on in 2019
This year the swimming forms the centrepiece of the world championships in South Korea. Many of those with serious Olympic aspirations are expected to show their competitors just how good they really are in Gwangju.
The eight-day indoor swimming event starts on July 21 with competitors from 180 nations involved in the fight to claim medals in 42 events. The distances are from 50m up to 1500m for men and women, and a mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Among those expected to remind the opposition they are the ones to catch are Katie Ledecky of the USA, Great Britain’s Adam Peaty and Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom.
Preceding the indoor event is the open water swimming which runs from July 13-19, with distances from 5km up to a marathon 25 km.
Betting on Swimming at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
Despite the kudos that comes with world championship success, the main focus for all swimmers will be 2020 summer’s Olympics in Japan. With over a year to go to the Tokyo extravaganza, you’re almost assured of a new name bursting onto the scene to compete with the likes of Ledecky and Peaty for global attention.
A good example is Alexander Popov at Barcelona 1992. For many years preceding, the sprint freestyle – the 50m – was seen as a straight fight between America pair Matt Biondi and Tom Jager. Russian Popov arrived to upset both and claim the 50m and 100m double before successfully defending both titles four years later in Atlanta.
But when it comes to multiple medal winners, the Americans are the experts in chief. The most successful Olympian of all time is Michael Phelps, who boasts the most gold medals, 23, and the most in a single Games, eight, at Beijing 2008.
Current betting opportunities
Betting on swimming is mainly focused on the big championships and ante post odds are usually based on head-to-head clashes. If you’re looking to get an early indication of who are the hot prospects for Korea in July then online bookmaker such as bwin is a good place to start (good swimming odds and online streaming)
Both Sjostrom and Peaty are among the favourites for their primary events. You can bet on them head-to-head with their rivals – Denmark’s Pernille Blum in the 50m freestyle and Russia’s Kirill Prigoda in the 50m breaststroke respectively.
Swimming betting strategy tips and rules
For those who think long-term when it comes to their Olympics bets, they’ll be sure to pay full attention to the world championships in July.
While always noting who comes first in Korea – especially when you’ve placed a bet on them – make sure you know all the finalists. Also, how far they finish behind the winner, especially those that are potential champions of the future. Will the champion still be able to hold off the new teenage star when they’re 12 months older? How will the new star do with another year’s experience under their belts?
Always look at those pushing the winner all the way and make sure you monitor their form and fitness in the build up to Tokyo.
How to bet on swimming: bet types, odds and betting sites
The eight berth finals are ideal for the single straight winning bet and prediction – where available – when two stars go head-to-head. If you can’t separate two favourites then a forecast maybe for you. A forecast for swimming may also help if you have your eye on a new upcoming star but you’re unsure if they can beat the hot favourite.
If you have the likes of a Ledecky or Peaty in top form the win odds are likely to be skinny. To get better odds see if you can predict the runner-up in a forecast. Check betting sites that offer swimming betting lines such as Pinnacle, William Hill and online betting exchange Betfair to find out what odds they’re offering on swimming world and european championships and Olympics 2020. Bet on swimming with a good welcome bonus at BetAmerica: 100% of your first deposit.
Please remember you may have to wait until closer to the swimming event you’re interested when checking the swimming betting markets on sites such as U.S. online sportsbook BetAmerica. They provide you with great swimming betting options, live odds and bonus via mobile app.
Swimming news
Remember, betting is like like many things in sport – if you fail to prepare then you’d better prepare to fail. Always take the process seriously and pay close attention to the sport – swimming. Find out who’s fit, who’s not; who’s in form, who’s on the slide. Sites like swimswam offer the latest worldwide news of the stars you know and those on the cusp of making it big in the sport.
Other sites worth checking for news are floswimming and www.fina.org/news.
Where to watch swimming on TV and online
In Europe, domestic broadcasters such as the BBC will cover the world championships and Olympic Games, while in America, USA Swimming has teamed up with NBC to offer coverage. In Australia Channel Seven will show the national championships and international events.
History
Although swimming itself has been around since prehistoric times, the sport emerging as a competitive activity is linked to the introduction of indoor pools. This started in the early part of the 19th century in England. By 1837 the National Swimming Society was co-ordinating regular swimming competitions in six swimming pools in and around London.
But it wasn’t until 1844 that two Native Americans introduced the front crawl to a London audience. The crawl remains today the most powerful of all swimming styles.
With the increase in its popularity in Europe and further afield it was a natural sport for the Olympic Games, forming part of the first modern Olympics in 1896. By 1908 world swimming’s governing body, Federation International de Natation, FINA, was formed and women’s swimming was introduced into the Olympics in 1912.
It became very much an indoor Olympics sport until Beijing 2008 when the 10K open water event took it away from the pool.
Photo by YourSwimLog.com
