Five cows, one year’s worth of free food, a two-bed apartment and exemption from military service: How athletes can win more than medals this Olympics
While the IOC does not award cash prizes to winners at Paris 2024, many countries and territories offer incentives for their athletes to take home gold, silver or bronze medals.
Many rewards are financial, but bonuses can be more selective – anything from exemption from mandatory military service to cars, cows, apartments and even free food delivery.
Here, AFP Sport highlights some of the offers available for gold, silver and bronze medals around the world:
South Korea
An Olympic medal, of any color, grants athletes exemption from 18 months of compulsory military service, which all able-bodied males must complete by age 28.
Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games does the same thing, as soccer star Son Heung-min did in Jakarta in 2018 by avoiding combat gear.
The six shooters at the Tokyo Olympics, who won four of the five gold medals, received cars provided by Hyundai, which sponsors the team.
Poland
Gold medalists in individual events receive a cash prize of 250,000 zlotys ($63,000), a two-room apartment, a diamond, a painting and a holiday voucher.
Silver and bronze medal winners are also generously rewarded with cash and other gifts.
Indonesia
Ipriani Rahayu and Grecia Poli, who won the women’s doubles badminton gold medal in Tokyo three years ago, reportedly received rewards ranging from new homes from a property developer to meatball restaurants from a social media influencer.
The district chief of her town in Southeast Sulawesi also promised Apriani five cows, a plot of land and a house, according to the state-run Antara news agency.
Another report said state-owned PT Pegadayan had promised to give the couple three kilograms of gold.
Tourism Minister Sandiga Uno said they can enjoy free holidays in five major tourist destinations in the country.
Jordan
When athlete Ahmad Abu Ghaush won the country’s first-ever gold medal – the men’s 68kg taekwondo class in Rio – the National Olympic Committee gave him 100,000 dinars ($140,000) and his coach about half that amount.
Abu Ghosh also received many other awards and gifts from local companies, including a car and a luxury watch, while King Abdullah II awarded him the First Class Order of Excellence.
Filipinos
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz has been rewarded for winning the country’s first-ever gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics by being awarded two drugs and promoted to the rank of sergeant major in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino told AFP he had previously given medal winners houses and land at his own expense.
Iraq
Iraqi soccer players received more than nine million dinars ($7,200) and a plot of land each for qualifying for the Olympics, officials said.
Weightlifter Ali Ammar Yasser received a car and a plot of land after qualifying for the Games, and was promised $1 million if he returned with a bronze medal or better.
Malaysia
The first Malaysian athlete to win Olympic gold in Paris will not go hungry, as delivery and transportation company Grab has promised him free food orders for a year.
The government said they will also get a Chery sports car as well as a luxury apartment from property developer Top Residency.
India
When Neeraj Chopra won the javelin gold in Tokyo, IndiGo airline promised him a year of unlimited free flights and a new seven-seater SUV from a businessman.
Singapore
After Joseph Schooling made history at the Rio 2016 Games by beating the great Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly to take the gold medal, ride-hailing app Grab offered him and his family free transportation for a year, which he shared with a blind masseuse and a paralympic swimmer.
Singapore Airlines contributed one million air miles, while the government provides S$1 million ($750,000) for any gold medal.
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong government has given Paris gold medallist fencers Vivien Kong and Cheung Ka Lung two lifetime tickets to use the city’s subway system, and promised the same to all other medal winners.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club also awards individual gold medal winners HK$6 million (US$770,000).
Gym chain Pure is offering lifetime membership to all 35 Hong Kong athletes competing in Paris, and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has announced it will give all medal winners free business class travel for a year.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.