How much do Olympic athletes get paid?

The Olympics Games sit at the summit of the sporting world, where victory has the greatest meaning for athletes. For sportsmen and women whose disciplines don't have the privilege of club competition and the fame and recognition that accompanies it, the Olympics are the only stage where they can truly make a name for themselves. For many, just making it to the Olympics and being considered among the best athletes on the planet is an achievement in itself. For the more established nations, placing higher on the overall medals tally is proof of sporting excellence and a matter of national pride. But do the athletes get anything other than medals, respect and recognition at the Olympics? The Olympics started off as an endeavour for amateur athletes. That means athletes don't get paid match fees or receive appearance money for representing their countries. However, things changed before the end of the last century. The Olympic Charter of 1986 welcomed "all the world's great male and female athletes to participate" irrespective of their amateur status. Soon after, basketball superstar Michael Jordan and other top athletes in the world began to turn up at the Games. Now, stars like LeBron James compete alongside college kids. However, they are still not paid directly. Sponsorships and rewards from national Olympic bodies are what sustain many athletes through the Olympic cycle. However, the rewards have increased substantially. USA Today conducted a survey and contacted the national Olympic committees of some countries to enquire about the rewards their athletes would receive at the Paris Olympics . According to the publication, the average amount the 25 respondents said they will pay their medal winners was $95,000 for gold, $55,000 for silver and $39,000 for bronze. According to the report, nations like Malaysia, Morocco and Serbia have promised to give their gold medal winners more than $200,000, while those from the USA stand to receive $37,500 for gold in Paris, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. Track and field athletes at Paris are set to become the first set of Olympic participants to be rewarded directly by a governing body. World Athletics has announced that gold medalists in Paris will receive prize money, becoming the first international governing body to do so. A prize pool of $2.4 million has been set aside by WA to reward athletes. Those who win gold in each of the 48 track and field events at the Summer Games will receive a reward of $50,000. The relay teams will receive the same amount, which will be shared among the athletes. Later, the International Boxing Association announced it will offer prize money to all those who become Olympic champions and medalists at the Paris Games. The body is, however, not organising the boxing tournament at the Olympics after it was stripped of recognition by the International Olympic Committee last year. The IBA said it will award $100,000 to gold medalists, $50,000 to silver medallists and $25,000 for bronze.

How much do Olympic athletes get paid?

Substantial prize money and rewards on offer at Paris Games