Thousands of athletes from around the world are competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics with hopes of bringing home shiny, gold medals — and stacks of prize money.
How much money? Well, the amount Olympians can earn in Paris varies by country.
For Team USA, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee pays its winning athletes $37,500 for gold medals, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze medals. Similar to the US, the Canadian Olympic Committee says it will pay $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.
These amounts fail in comparison to what Hong Kong will dish out to its gold-winning athletes: $6,000,000 HK. That’s equivalent to $768,232 US dollars.
In a historic move, World Athletics announced in April that it will become the first international federation to award prize money to athletes at an Olympics. The governing body for track and field says it will pay $50,000 to athletes who win gold in all 48 track and field events in Paris.
World Athletics says the incentive will also be expanded to silver and bronze medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
While some countries may offer monetary prizes to its winning athletes, others offer alternative prizes.
For instance, the Republic of Kazakhstan approved a legal act to award its winning Olympians with apartments. The winner of a gold medal will receive a three-bedroom apartment. A silver-winner will get a two-bedroom, and a one-bedroom will be awarded for a bronze medal.
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