Who Will Light The Olympic Flame At The Opening Ceremony? Maybe The Queen!

If you would like to bet on a thing that requires you to know the peculiarities of the decision-makers within the 2012 London Olympics, boy, do I have a deal for you! You should bet on who lights the Olympic Flame!

The odds to light the Olympic torch heavily favor Steven Redgrave, who won gold medals in rowing at five consecutive Games and is considered Britain's greatest Olympian. But that shouldn't stop you from wagering on someone else, like David Beckham (who was passed over for one of the three over-23 spots on the British Olympic team), Queen Elizabeth, or Nelson Mandela (66-1 at SkyBet!), or Muhammad Ali (33-1 at SkyBet, and also ???).

Here's what the odds for the consensus top four candidates look like.

• Steven Redgrave: 8-15 (SkyBet), 2-5 (Paddy Power), 1-2 (Bodog)
• Roger Bannister: 11-4 (SkyBet), 7-2 (Paddy Power), 9-4 (Bodog)
• David Beckham: 5-1 (SkyBet, Paddy Power, Bodog)
• Queen Elizabeth: 11-2 (SkyBet), 6-1 (Bodog)

For more on the 2012 London Olympics, visit our dedicated Olympics hub. For more on the Opening Ceremony, visit our Opening Ceremony StoryStream and our rundown of what to watch for in the Opening Ceremony.