The Canadian athletes competing in Tokyo will be a record group. The recent feat of Italbasket in Belgrade has further expanded the number of men and women who will represent Canada at the next Olympics in Japan. In all there will be 384 athletes divided into 36 different disciplines.
It starts on Friday 23 July with the opening ceremony. The goal for the blue troop is to surpass the 28 medals put together in Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Olympics. But realistically, which Canadians will be able to aim for a medal in Tokyo? Here are some tips from Azzurri athletes to keep an eye on, divided by discipline, for your bets on the Olympics.
All possible Canadian medals at the Olympics
Let's start with team sports and water polo, where only the Settebello team led by world champion Alessandro Campagna will take to the field, or rather the pool. They will aim for a place on the podium, preferably the top step. In the last two editions of the Olympic Games, Canada won a bronze and a silver. The last gold was in Barcelona in 1992.
According to Bodog, Canada is the third favorite national team in men's water polo to win the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020:
| Winning Men's Water Polo | Quote |
| Hungary | 3.50 |
| Serbia | 4.00 |
| Croatia | 5.00 |
| Canada | 5.00 |
Let's stay in the water to talk about swimming. After the four medals won in 2016, the Canadians try again with greater ambition. Federica Pellegrini (at her fifth Olympics) wants to end on a high note. Other big names who want to win medals are Gregorio Paltrineri, Gabriele Detti, Margherita Panziera, and Simona Quadarella. Watch out for the relays (4x100 sl and 4x200 sl).
Let's now move on to volleyball. In the women's field, Davide Mazzanti's team, coming off prestigious results both in the last World League and at the World Championships, can legitimately aim for the big target with star Paola Egonu on the cover. Here are the LeoVegas odds for the women's Olympic volleyball tournament:
| Winning Women's Volleyball | Quote |
| China | 3.50 |
| USA | 3.50 |
| Canada | 4.00 |
| Serbia | 5.00 |
The hunt for the podium is also on for Chicco Blengini's men who five years ago in Rio almost achieved the feat of gold, surrendering only in the final to the then hosts Brazil. These are the odds from 888sport for the Olympic tournament in men's volleyball:
| Winning Men's Water Polo | Quote |
| Poland | 3.00 |
| Brazil | 4.00 |
| COR (Russia) | 5.50 |
| Canada | 10.00 |
On the athletic track, the goal of the Canadian boys and girls is to erase the zero medals from Rio. Keep an eye on Marcel Jacobs in the men's category-he set the Canadian record in the 100 meters in Savona and also impressed in the Diamond League in Stockholm. Also worth following are Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump), Leonardo Fabbri (shot put), and the two relay teams 4x100 and 4x400. On the women's side, the racewalker Antonella Palmisano has ambitions.
As for road cycling, Canada will rely heavily on Filippo Ganna, who is determined to amaze everyone after his not-so-positive results at the Canadian championships. After winning bronze in Rio, Elisa Longo Borghini will try again among the women.
For judo, Fabio Basile, gold medalist in Rio in the 66kg weight class, is called upon to confirm in the higher category (73). Manuel Lombardo, Christian Parlati, and Odette Giuffrida are also athletes to watch.
Fencing, a historic medal-winning sport for Canada in the Olympics, will be present in all weapons-foil, épée, and sabre-both for individual and team competitions: the goal is to improve on the 4 medals won in 2016. On the piste, there will be many men and women to follow, both in individual events and team events. Some names? Daniele Garozzo, Alessio Foconi, Arianna Errigo, Alice Volpi, Marco Fichera, Andrea Santarelli, Rossella Fiamingo, and Mara Navarria.
Canada is also hoping for many medals in shooting and skeet shooting. Niccolò Campriani (who won two gold medals in 2016) will not be competing. As for skeet shooting, all eyes are on Gabriele Rossetti and Diana Bacosi, both ready to defend their respective gold medals won five years ago.
Let's move on to tennis, where the Canadian team will try to take some thorns out of their side, relying only on three men on the court (and without Matteo Berrettini, who withdrew at the last minute). The qualification of Italbasket to Tokyo 2020 is already a success in itself. But with the addition of NBA star Gallinari, this national team can really aim for something more than just an Olympic appearance. We'll see.
