Winter Olympics

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the first Ghanaian to qualify for the Winter Olympics, is set to make Ghana’s debut at a Winter Olympic Games tomorrow. Kwame is due to race in the Slalom starting a 19.00 (GMT) tomorrow on BBC 2 or the red button at 18.00 (GMT).

Kwame, known as the Snow Leopard, has overcome many challenges to fulfill his Olympic dream and with no support to date from the Ghanaian Olympic committee he has had to rely on his sponsors Paddy Power to help fund his Olympic dream.

Kwame has received a huge welcome in Canada and the world’s media have clamoured for an interview with one of the inspiring stories of the games. Coming from a country that has no snow, Kwame skied for the first time just over six years ago when he got a job as a receptionist at a snow centre in the UK. Two years later he skied for the first time outdoors and subsequent races ultimately led to Olympic qualification.

With so many obstacles in his way Paddy Power currently has him at 500/1 to win gold but is aiming to not come last and is 7/2 to beat two rivals.

Paddy Power however has also given Kwame a £1,000 charity bet on himself, all winnings will go to his charities The Snow Leopard Trust, Sabre and Snow Camp, and has backed himself to be in front of three of his competitors.

Paddy Power said, “Everyone at Paddy Power is right behind Kwame and believe he is going to have a great race, we even hope he wins his bet with us!”

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, The Snow Leopard said, “I can’t believe my race is finally here, having seen everyone else compete I just want to get out there. Thanks to everyone who supported me from my family, support team and of course sponsors Paddy Power! Watch out here comes the Snow Leopard!” (more…)

Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is aiming for four gold medals in Vancouver to become the greatest Winter Olympian of all time and Sky Bet go 8/1 that he breaks the record for most golds (8), held by cross-country skier Bjoern Daehlie. It’s 100/30 that he takes three golds to equal the record.

Bjoerndalen won five gold medals in his first two Games, taking four in 2002 but was disappointed only to gain two silvers and a bronze in Turin, where he was bed-ridden for a week suffering from a severe cold.

He has five opportunities to win gold in Vancouver and is among the favourites in every race. The 36-year-old biathlete has been very well backed in all his events and has been cut to 6/4 (from 11/4) for the 10km sprint,  to 6/4 (from 4/1) in the 12.5km pursuit, to 6/4 (from 7/2) in the individual and to 6/4 (from 3/1) in the mass start.

Sky Bet’s winter Olympics betting expert Dave Sykes said: “Although now 36-years-old, Ole is still the favourite in every race he competes in and he will probably be the greatest Winter Olympian of all time after Vancouver!” (more…)

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the first Ghanaian to qualify for the Winter Olympics, is set to carry his Nation’s flag at tomorrow’s opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Kwame, known as the snow leopard, has faced a tough battle to even get to the games, with no support to date from the Ghanaian Olympic committee he has had to rely on his sponsors Paddy Power to help fund his Olympic dream. Without this crucial funding he would have struggled to even be present at the games let alone compete, his sponsorship deal has enabled Kwame to pay for accommodation and have crucial support from his manager, physio and coach.

The Olympics has a habit of throwing up sporting underdogs, but surely there is no greater underdog than a skier from a country that has no snow. He skied for the first time just over six years ago when he got a job as a receptionist at a snow centre in the UK. Two years later he skied for the first time outdoors and subsequent races ultimately led to Olympic qualification.

With so many obstacles in his way Paddy Power currently has him at 500/1 to win gold.

Paddy Power however has also given Kwame a £1,000 charity bet on himself, all winnings will go to his charities The Snow Leopard Trust, Sabre and Snow Camp. Kwame is keen to put a few rivals behind him and will place it on 8/1 he beats three other competitors.

Paddy Power said, “We love what Kwame has achieved already and hope our support will mean he can give it his all at the games without the worry of how to fund it. We don’t even mind if he wins his bet as all the proceeds go to his charities.”

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, The Snow Leopard said, “I can’t wait for the games to start and finally compete in the games after such a long Journey. Paddy Power has helped me so much but I also want lots of support from fans so if you want to follow me on my adventure then click on www.facebook.com and search for Kwame’s Army or www.twitter.com/thesnowleop and join my growing Paddy Power Kwame’s Army.”

Kwame is set to take on both the Slalom and Giant Slalom at the games in Vancouver Winter Olympics starting on the 12 February. (more…)

There are only two days until the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics and the competing Nations are preparing to send their finest athletes to slide their way to Olympic glory. Paddy Power has Germany as the 7/5 favourite just ahead of hosts Canada at 5/2 to be the overall medal table winner when the games conclude on the 28th February.

The hosts Canada, following two relatively unsuccessful games previously held in the country, have left no stone unturned in their team’s preparations for the Vancouver 2010 games and are keen to give the nation sporting success. The team has been ruthless in the build up to the point of restricting competitors training time at Olympic venues to make sure their athletes have every possible home advantage.

Team GB are also in the hunt for medals and are sending one of their strongest squads to a winter games. Hopes ride on the Curling Team again with Paddy Power quoting the men’s team at 4/1 and women’s team at 13/1 to pick up gold. Shelley Rudman, silver medalist in 2006, is also a strong prospect for gold in the Skeleton Bob at 7/1 and reigning World Champions, Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke, in the two-women bobsleigh are 10/1.

Sponsored by Paddy Power Kwame Nkrumah- Acheampong, aka the Snow Leopard, is the first Ghanaian to qualify for the Olympic Games, the lack of snow in his home country and the fact he first skied six years ago makes him 500/1 for gold.

Roberto Coladangelo spokesman for Paddy Power said; “We try not to be biased but surely the only person to watch at the games is our very own Snow Leopard. We love an underdog so have paid for his coach, physio and manager to join him and Vancouver and give him everything he needs to compete against the best in the world. Ghana for gold??!!” (more…)

Sky Bet are offering a great range of Winter Olympics betting markets ahead of the start of the XXI games in Vancouver on Friday.

A number of special markets on Great Britain’s performance are available and Team GB have been backed down to 6/4 (from 7/4) to meet the British Olympics Association’s expectations by bringing home three or more medals. It’s 5/2 that Britain claim just one medal or return empty handed, while a haul of two medals is favourite at 11/8.

Sky Bet’s winter sports betting expert Stephen Parkes said: “Britain will be quietly confident of collecting a respectable medal count, but with the competition as hot as ever we feel they may struggle and leave disappointed.”

Britain’s best hopes of a medal lie with the all-Scottish men’s curling team, who are 7/2 to follow up their 2009 World Championship victory by taking gold.

Shelley Rudman, who was Great Britain’s only medallist at Turin four years ago, is a 7/1 chance for the women’s skeleton, while Kristian Bromley is 14/1 for the men’s skeleton.

Chemmy Alcott, ranked 13^th in the world, is Britain’s brightest skiing talent and is 3/1 to achieve a top-ten finish in any event.

Germany are 13/8 favourites to top the medal table but Canada have come in for substantial support, prompting Sky Bet to cut their odds of winning most medals to 9/4 (from 4/1). (more…)

The NHL takes a few weeks off in February as all eyes in the hockey world turn to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games. Hosts Canada, reigning gold medal winners Sweden, USA and Russia are among twelve nations who will all be vying for gold come the end of the month.

Team Canada

The hosts Canada come into the games with the weight of a nation on their back. Looking at the talent at their disposal the expectation is probably justified. Scott Niedermayer will captain the Canadians and he is backed up by the obvious choices of Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Chris Pronger and goaltender Martin Brodeur. Following the disappointment of finishing seventh in the 2006 games, the Canadians have gone for a much younger team, spearheaded by the likes of Crosby. The depth of squad for Canada makes them a very scary proposition for anyone who faces them. They have an abundance of talent up front with Rick Nash, Ryan Getzlaf, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and more joining forces with ‘Sid the Kid’. On the defensive side Niedermayer and Pronger are joined by, among others, Chicago’s Duncan Keith (45 points including 35 assists this season) and the Kings’ Drew Doughty, who has been a rock at the back for LA in just his second season. On the goaltending front, the wealth of riches at Canada’s disposal is embarrassing. Martin Brodeur, who is leading the NHL in wins at the moment, will likely be the first choice and should he falter Canada can call upon Vancouver’s own Roberto Luongo and Pittsburgh Marc-Andre Fleury.

With the talent available and the home ice advantage the Canadians are justified favourites. Although at 10/11 the price is not really something you’d want to get stuck into.

Team USA

Team USA head to Vancouver looking for their first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 games in Lake Placid and General Manager Brian Burke has put together a young team of Americans who, with a little luck, might just be able to do it. While maybe not having the riches of talent that the Canadians will bring to the games, Team USA will still be able to put out a very talented team of NHL stars spearheaded by goaltender Ryan Miller and forwards Zach Parise and Patrick Kane. Ryan Miller has been having a wonderful season in net for Buffalo and the Sabre will likely be first choice for the net come the opening game. Miller currently has a 2.10 GAA (2^nd in the NHL) and a .932 save percentage (1^st in the NHL) and has five shutouts this season. Millar is being backed up by Tim Thomas from Boston and Jonathan Quick of the LA Kings. Thomas and Quick have had contrasting seasons and may were surprised by the inclusion of Thomas, given his struggles this year. At the blue line Team USA will be able to call on some quality including Brian Rafalski and Mike Komisarek. Rafalski is currently the only defenseman in the group that has previous Olympic experience and there are only three players in total who have participated in the games before. Like Team Canada, Brian Burke has put together a young team that should be able to play quick and aggressive hockey. Joining Parise and Kane upfront will be Jamie Langenbrunner, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Kesler and Chris Drury among others. Team USA have plenty of firepower at their disposal but they will require some big games from their main men up front if they’re going to go all the way.

With Ryan Miller in net Team USA will certainly be contenders and at 8/1 may prove to be a bit of value. While they are a good strong squad all round they simply don’t have the wealth of riches that some of the other main contenders have at their disposal. However if the pieces fall into place and they get a couple of big performances from their go to guys then the gold medal is a strong possibility.

Team Russia

Perhaps the biggest threat to Canada hopes of gold is from this Russian team. With the likes of Ovechkin, Malkin, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, Semin and Afinogenov at their disposal this is a scary team to be looking at. Fourteen of the players in the Russian squad apply their trade in the NHL with all the others coming from Russia’s KHL. Some of the KHL players also have NHL experience with Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov being two of the more well known names. This is a team that will be able to score at will if they gel together and there’s no reason to think that they won’t. Pittsburgh Sergei Gonchar will be the main presence on the blue line and he will be backed up by NHL regulars such as Andrei Markov and Anton Volchenkov. Behind them Team Russia can choose from two of the best goaltenders in the NHL. San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov will likely be the first starter while Ilya Bryzgalov, who is having a fantastic season in Phoenix, will likely be his backup. Nabokov is currently second in the NHL with 33 wins and a GAA of 2.25 while Bryzgalov has 31 wins and a GAA of 2.30.

This is an extremely potent side with the potential to completely blow out teams. The forwards at their disposal are scary and the price of 9/4 second favourites reflects their very strong chance of winning the gold.

Reigning Olympic Champions Sweden are 6/1 but they have quite an old team that may not be able to match either the Canadians or the Russians when the medals are on the line. Sleepers for the gold also include the Czech Republic who have always produced strong hockey teams and will likely give a good showing again. However with the crowd behind them and the ability they can bring to the ice it will take a special effort to stop Canada.

Paddy Power today announced their sponsorship of Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong the first Ghanaian to qualify for the Winter Olympics. Kwame, known as The Snow Leopard, first skied just over six years ago when he got a job as a receptionist at a snow centre in the UK. Two years later he skied for the first time outdoors on a real mountain in Val Di Sere, France. His talent shone through in some indoor races and that natural skill subsequently took him to competing in FIS races in Europe and ultimately Olympic qualification.

The Olympics has a habit of throwing up sporting underdogs, but surely there is no greater underdog than a skier from a country that has no snow. Whilst Paddy Power currently has him at 500/1 to win gold, there is more to the story than just winning. Paddy Power has a history of supporting the underdog, like sponsoring the Tongan Rugby Team in the 2007 World Cup, and after hearing his story have stepped in to give Kwame the financial support to enable him to compete at the pinnacle of ski racing.

His quest for Olympic glory has been far from easy with limited funds and the nagging concern about the cost of actually competing at an Olympic games. The new sponsorship will now enable Kwame to have access to ski technicians, physios and training venues in Vancouver to help him achieve his Olympic dream. It will also help meet the transport and logistics costs for the team to get to the Olympics in the first place.

Kwame is set to take on both the Slalom and Giant Slalom at the games in Vancouver Winter Olympics starting on the 12 February. The deal was brokered via sport agency Fuse and the campaign will be activated using Paddy Power’s unique fun and friendly twist.

Paddy Power said “We love the underdog at Paddy Power and believe he will be the big story of the Winter Olympics. We are putting all our weight right behind Kwame and we are not only given him financial support we also want to create a huge following through the media and social networking.”

Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, The Snow Leopard said “Paddy Power have been amazing as it has cost me a fortune to train and qualify for the Olympics and Paddy Power’s support means that I now have a fighting chance to compete well and actually get to Vancouver in the first place.”

Tennis specials

With expectations high for Andy Murray going into 2010, Sky Bet are offering odds on how the British number one will fare and go 5/1 that he wins 7 or more ATP titles. It’s 5/2 that Murray ends 2010 ranked either 1^st or 2^nd and 9/1 that he goes on to claim two or more Grand Slam titles.

Football specials

Next year is sure to bring many more managerial changes and Sky Bet make it an even money chance that 2010 sees Jose Mourinho return to Premier League management. It’s 40/1 that all four ‘big four’ managers leave their posts in 2010. Sky Bet also go 150/1 that David Beckham scores the winning penalty for England in a shootout in the World Cup final.

Motorsport specials

With Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton forming an all-English dream team at McLaren in 2010, Sky Bet go 11/8 that an Englishman wins the Drivers’ Championship. Next year will also see F1 legend Michael Schumacher return to the sport and Sky Bet offer 28/1 that the seven-time champion gets off to a flying start by winning the first three Grands Prix of the season.

Golf specials

Sky Bet boast a wide range of special markets, including 9/2 for Lee Westwood to retain his Race to Dubai crown and 4/1 that Westwood is the next Brit to win a major.

Boxing specials

Sky Bet are offering odds on British boxers Amir Khan and David Haye remaining unbeaten in 2010. It’s 10/3 that the ‘Hayemaker’ is unbeaten and 5/1 that he beats Ukrainian brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. Odds of Amir Khan remaining unbeaten next year are 15/8 and it’s 8/1 for a boxer to win the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

1^st 2009 champion to retain their title

Sky Bet are also offering odds on which 2009 champion will retain their title first in 2010 and make four-time King George winner Kauto Star the 11/8 favourite to defend his Gold Cup title in March. Pakistan are 9/1 to be the first of the ten winners listed to defend their title by winning the Twenty20 World Cup title in May and it’s 13/2 that Barcelona are first to celebrate by lifting the Champions League trophy again (May 2010). 8/1 is available for none of the ten 2009 champions listed to repeat their success in 2010. (more…)