With the Olympics just a few months away, the tickets for all of the biggest events are already selling out fast. So what is the most sought after ticket at the Olympics in Rio in 2016?
Many would think it would be the world’s most watched Olympic event, the men’s 100m final, especially now Usain Bolt is aiming for his third straight gold medal. Or even the football, as we all know Brazil is crazy about its hugely impressive football team. But actually it’s a sport we all know and love so well – Volleyball.
When the registration for Rio 2016 tickets opened at the start of last year, it took just two weeks for 200 thousand Brazilians to register online for the ticket sale. Of all of those who registered, over one in four had chosen volleyball as their first choice for tickets. Football was the second most chosen sport for tickets by Brazilians, with over 10 thousand less first choice requests than volleyball. Swimming was close behind the two sports, also attracting tens of thousands of requests.
So why is volleyball so popular with the people of Brazil? Well as football has proved in Brazil, it always helps the popularity of a sport if the country is good at it. The men’s Olympic team has made the final of the last three Olympic Games, taking home two silvers and one gold since 2004. The women’s Olympic team have done even better, winning gold at the last two Olympics and not being knocked out of the tournament before the semi-finals since 1988. So someone from Brazil can buy a ticket for the volleyball with confidence, as it’s highly likely that they be able to see their home country play even if they buy tickets for the later stages of the competition.
Unlike the UK and much of the world, the sport is also regularly televised throughout the year. Whilst the vast majority of people in the UK like to bet on either the football or horse racing, many people in Brazil also enjoy betting on the volleyball. Very few betting websites in the UK have many odds on the volleyball, but sites like BetVictor specialise in a wide range of sports including volleyball. If you’ve never bet on the site before, you can take advantage of the BetVictor Free Bets. The bookmakers will match your initial deposit up to £50 in free bets with a take it or leave it offer that gives you the chance to have a second bet if you enjoyed the first one.
So since Brazil has such a big following before the competition has even started, is there anyone else worth putting a BetVictor Free Bet on that could possibly beat them? Well Russia staged an amazing comeback at the London 2012 games to beat the men’s team 3-2. After winning the first two sets and leading the third 22-19, the team thought the victory was sealed and substituted on retiring legend Giba so he could be there for one last Gold medal winning moment. That obviously proved to be a mistake that Brazil won’t want to make on home soil this year, especially with tens of thousands of fans desperate to watch them.
