RWS’ Football Fever: Giant Pacific Octopus, Ollie, at S.E.A. Aquarium Predicts France to Win 2018 World Cup

We all know that octopi are incredibly smart creatures, and some might even say, clairvoyant. As part of Resorts World Sentosa’s World Cup celebrations, Ollie, a two-year-old male Giant Pacific Octopus residing at the S.E.A. Aquarium predicted on 12th July that France would defeat Croatia and be crowned champion in the Finals match.

Why is an octopus so smart? It could be because they have three hearts and nine brains, while its eight tentacles contain close to 500 million neurons to touch, taste, explore and grip its prey. History has also shown that these amazing creatures possess a strong cognitive ability in solving problems and great dexterity in hunting for prey.

Ollie took approximately 10 minutes to make his final decision, and did this when an acrylic maze was inserted into Ollie’s habitat with two pieces of fresh crab placed at two corners of the maze.  Each corner was labelled with the country flag of the two finalist teams – France and Croatia, and shortly after 9.30am, Ollie picked the crab from the side of the maze that carried France’s flag, predicting the 1998 champion to bring glory home once again this Sunday.

As the Football Fever 2018 celebrations at Resorts World Sentosa finally draw to a heart-stopping finale, soccer fans can now head down to the creatively-transformed Resorts World Ballroom to enjoy a free screening of the Third Place and Finals this weekend in high definition from multiple large screens lining the venue, complete with floodlights, soccer turf and non-stop entertainment such as hip-hop dance routines and live bands during match breaks, and plenty of tasty snacks and refreshing beer to purchase and complete your World Cup experience on a high note.

Resorts World Sentosa will be screening the third place match on 14th July at 10pm, and the finals on 15th July at 11pm at the Resorts World Ballroom. Admission is free on a First come first served basis.