2010 VANCOUVER WINTER OLYMPICS TOTAL MEDALS BETTING

We are finally set to go on the opening day of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and this is more or less your last day to get your bets in on total medals won, by country, at the games. There looks to be some tough competition for top spot with four countries having a genuine shot at taking it with Germany still remaining the solid (though not odds-on) favourite. 
You'll find Deutschland trading at 8/5 with top UK bookmaker William Hill and it is their presence in the lower-profile sports that gives them the edge on the most medals. Germans are likely to dominate sliding sports and they have stand-out performers in a number of other events. 
Canada's odds to get the most medals is trading at 5/2, which is a competitive price. They are a clear second favourite and I expect them to push very hard in the skiing, skeleton and bobsleigh events with snowboarding also looking like a possible pick-up. Of course, hockey is the big one and their men's and women's teams are both strong favourites. Curling is going to be a big one and I expect a very good atmosphere at those fixtures, as the curling tickets were popular with local fans. I expect a good home crowd out there for them. Canada doesn't have as many big favourites as Germany does, but they remain in striking distance of more events than they have been in previous years. If the Canadians can get some momentum going early, I think they could literally own the podium. 

The United States are third placed with a price of 4/1. They have a number of top competitors and they will be bringing Team Colbert to the Richmond Oval in an attempt to sweep the short-track events. They stand a chance in plenty of other sports and they are bringing back some serious Olympic veterans like Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller. Americans tend to do very well in the flashier sports at the Olympics and there are few bigger favourites in the games than Shawn White in the snowboard halfpipe. If he doesn't cope well with the tricky conditions on the ground, it could open things up for a gritty run from an underdog though, so we'll see how that one pans out. 
Norway are available at 6/1 and that makes them plausible contenders here. They are very well-placed to finish in the top 3 and I feel as though the Germans have the most to lose. Norway are another one of those teams that don't tend to be winning a lot of front and center events, but they are always there-or-thereabouts in the medal count. Skiing is always a huge strong point and I see them putting in a good effort in some of the sliding sports and Ski Jumping. 
Russia trade at 10/1 and they look strong in a handful of events. Granted - Russia's Olympians could have a huge tournament and go on to rack up a huge tally - it' s definitely not out of the question. They are the 2nd favourites in hockey and they boast some very strong contenders in a number of other competitions. They did lose some competitors in the cross-country skiing and biathlon due to doping violations though. I think Russia will definitely challenge in the events that they're favoured in, but I don't see them winning the most total medals. 
The other contenders include Austria at 12/1, Sweden at 33/1, Italy trades at 40/1 while France and Switzerland are available at a 50/1 price with William Hill.