Saturday, August 07, 2021

I thought they were amateurs

Many Olympic medalists get paid, sometimes from the state, others by a field and track association. Singapore pays the most; it pays $1 million in local currency (roughly $740,000 in the United States) to those of their citizens who win a gold medal. A United States medalist receives $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. Not all countries pay bonuses; some examples - Britain, New Zealand and Norway.  The payment may be in cash or other perks like stipends, houses, lifetime supplies of beer, free flights or even exemptions from mandatory military service. 

In the 1990s, the Singapore National Olympic Council devised an incentive scheme to reward medal-winning athletes in major international events. The payouts range from $1 million Singapore dollars for an individual Olympic gold medal to $10,000 for an individual gold at the South East Asian Games. According to the council, the program is supported by corporate sponsorship and donations from the country’s gaming revenue. 

Many Tokyo Olympians said they intended to use the bonus money on family.

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