{"id":1010,"date":"2026-02-15T16:28:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T16:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/?p=1010"},"modified":"2026-02-15T16:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T16:28:49","slug":"how-much-do-olympic-athletes-get-paid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/how-much-do-olympic-athletes-get-paid\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW MUCH DO OLYMPIC ATHLETES GET PAID?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"flex justify-between items-start\">\n<h1 class=\"text-[color:--base-font-color] font-black text-[28px] leading-[40px] xl:text-[32px] xl:leading-[44px] mt-0 mb-[0.4em] max-w-[16em]\">How Much Do Olympians Get Paid When They Medal? All About the Cash Prizes for Winners<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"content-cover\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-body\">\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/L_1p3sQD0Kn0ooC6paIPEA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/293bcb0c1f60e4582f15f03fdacbba44\" alt=\"Gold medalists Ellie Kam and Danny O&amp;#39;Shea of Team United States on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy ; Breezy Johnson of Team United States competes on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 10, 2026 in Cortina d&amp;#39;Ampezzo, Italy. Elsa\/Getty ; Christophe Pallot\/Agence Zoom\/Gett\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<div><i>Gold medalists Ellie Kam and Danny O&#8217;Shea of Team United States on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy ; Breezy Johnson of Team United States competes on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 10, 2026 in Cortina d&#8217;Ampezzo, Italy. <\/i>Elsa\/Getty ; Christophe Pallot\/Agence Zoom\/Gett<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"heading\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"content-list\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>Olympic athletes are not paid to compete in the games<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>However, some athletes are paid if they medal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"\">\n<p>A new $100 million donation will change the way Team USA Olympians are paid<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s not just medals that <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/olympics-5669938\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:Olympic;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"2\" data-v9y=\"1\">Olympic<\/a> athletes can walk away with \u2014\u00a0for some, there&#8217;s a tidy pile of cash involved.<\/p>\n<p>While qualifying for the Olympics is an accomplishment of a lifetime, topping the podium and earning a medal is undoubtedly the ultimate goal for the thousands of athletes competing.<\/p>\n<p>During the 1904\u00a0Olympic Games in St. Louis, the tradition of handing out medals \u2014 gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third \u2014 was first introduced. The prize distribution continued through the years, though the medals&#8217; designs differ depending on the Olympic host city.<\/p>\n<p>The medals don&#8217;t just attract the eyes of the competitors, however, as their nearly unattainable allure attracts the public watching the Games from all over the world. While many are curious about their worth, questions are also asked about athlete payout in addition to receiving medals.<\/p>\n<p>Whether athletes get paid to compete in the Olympics has been a commonly discussed topic over the years, with many Olympians opening up about their experiences trying to make ends meet while training to be the best in the world at their sport.<\/p>\n<p>However, the compensation model will be changing a bit for the 2026 Winter Olympics after financier Ross Stevens <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/us-olympians-getting-funding-first-time-record-100-million-donation-11895473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:donated $100 million;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"3\" data-v9y=\"1\">donated $100 million<\/a> to the U.S. Olympic &amp; Paralympic Committee (USOPC), promising $200,000 to each U.S. athlete who competes. The first half of the money will pay out 20 years after the first Olympic games they competed in, or when they&#8217;re 45, with the second half being a &#8220;guaranteed benefit for their families after they pass away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Read on to learn more about whether Olympic athletes get paid, how much medals are worth and the other prizes awarded on the podium.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Do Olympic athletes get paid?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/bGhq0vByVS3drDKhcLa1Kg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/32695a565b55d418f36ed27f524c4b89\" alt=\"Team USA&amp;#39;s Katie Ledecky poses with her gold medal after winning the women&amp;#39;s 1,500m freestyle final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mustafa Yalcin\/Anadolu via Getty&amp;nbsp;\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<div><i>Team USA&#8217;s Katie Ledecky poses with her gold medal after winning the women&#8217;s 1,500m freestyle final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. <\/i>Mustafa Yalcin\/Anadolu via Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In short, Olympic athletes are not paid to compete. The International Olympic Committee explained in a statement to <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbc.com\/nbc-insider\/are-olympic-athletes-paid-to-compete-olympic-games-medals-worth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBC Insider;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"4\" data-v9y=\"1\">NBC Insider<\/a> why a &#8220;for-profit business model&#8221; was never a goal for the Games.<\/p>\n<p>If that was the case, the IOC hypothesized: &#8220;The event would be limited to those sports that generate the most significant revenues, and it would not involve athletes representing teams from 206 NOCs&#8230; It would not be Olympic Games as we know them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Still, athletes can profit in other ways. In fact, <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbc.com\/nbc-insider\/are-olympic-athletes-paid-to-compete-olympic-games-medals-worth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:NBC;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"5\" data-v9y=\"1\">NBC<\/a> reports that &#8220;Olympians are compensated directly from their country&#8217;s respective Olympic competition committee.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-gam__container  lg:mr-[calc(-40px_-_14.285%)] lg:ml-[-40px]\">\n<div id=\"mid_center\" class=\"m-gam mb-[--paragraph-spacing] lg:text-left lg:pl-[min(40px,50%_-_364px)]\" data-config=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;mid_center&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:[[728,90]],&quot;region&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;,&quot;kvs&quot;:{&quot;loc&quot;:&quot;mid_center&quot;},&quot;path&quot;:&quot;\/22888152279\/us\/aol\/ros\/dt\/us_aol_ros_dt_mid_center&quot;}\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This isn&#8217;t true for all athletes competing in the Olympics, however, as they&#8217;re primarily paid only if they medal. &#8220;Team USA athletes who medal will be paid by the country&#8217;s Olympic committee,&#8221; according to <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/maryroeloffs\/2024\/08\/05\/olympic-athletes-work-second-jobs-onlyfans-birthday-party-clown-influencer-ilona-maher\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:Forbes;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"6\" data-v9y=\"1\"><em>Forbes<\/em><\/a>, &#8220;but a majority of American athletes aren&#8217;t paid to compete.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/olympics\/2026\/02\/10\/how-much-athletes-earn-for-winning-winter-olympics-medal-usa\/87593031007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:USA Today;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"7\" data-v9y=\"1\"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>, the U.S. payment process is deemed &#8220;Operation Gold&#8221; by the USOPC. Athletes earn $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze, which is the same as their earnings in the 2022 and 2024 Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>In comparison to other countries, the payout for American athletes is on the lower end of the spectrum.<\/p>\n<p>Singapore pays its athletes much more, offering their athletes $788,907 for what would be their first gold medal in the Olympic Games, per <em>USA Today<\/em>. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is offering $767,747 for gold, and Italy is celebrating those who place in their home country with $209,804 for gold medalists.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">What do first-place athletes win at the Olympics?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/BbKRS5dLxNR3A.4HA.RpMQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/80893387bc961893614764226ca01dc6\" alt=\"Team USA&amp;#39;s Simone Biles poses with the Olympic Rings and a goat charm on her necklace during the Artistic Gymnastics Women&amp;#39;s All-Around Final medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jamie Squire\/Getty\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<div><i>Team USA&#8217;s Simone Biles poses with the Olympic Rings and a goat charm on her necklace during the Artistic Gymnastics Women&#8217;s All-Around Final medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. <\/i>Jamie Squire\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Athletes are awarded a gold medal for winning first place at the Olympics, a tradition that began at the St. Louis Games in 1904. The medals are customized year to year \u2014 and according to the <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/olympics.com\/en\/news\/paris-2024-medals-how-metal-from-eiffel-tower-was-incorporated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:official Olympics website;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"8\" data-v9y=\"1\">official Olympics website<\/a>, the design &#8220;is the responsibility of the host city&#8217;s organizing committee.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The 2024 Paris Olympics made history with its medals, which were designed by expert French jeweler Chaumet. For the first time ever in the history of the Games, the medals were adorned with the original iron used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">How much is an Olympic gold medal worth?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ikDW6gabFF2yc1d1hYyS7A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/b60c1c0415b760abab5ee4ae2413d5b1\" alt=\"Gold medalist Kristen Faulkner of Team United States bites her medal on the podium during the Women&amp;#39;s Road Race Tim de Waele\/Getty&amp;nbsp;\" width=\"1242\" height=\"850\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<div><i>Gold medalist Kristen Faulkner of Team United States bites her medal on the podium during the Women&#8217;s Road Race <\/i>Tim de Waele\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The medals handed out at the 2026 Winter Olympics are worth more than ever, according to <a class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ctvnews.ca\/lifestyle\/article\/this-years-olympic-medals-are-worth-more-than-ever\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"slk:CTV News;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-rapid_p=\"9\" data-v9y=\"1\">CTV News<\/a>, due to the rising costs of the material itself.<\/p>\n<p>Gold medals have doubled in value since the Paris Olympics, with a cost of about $2,300 \u2014\u00a0even though the medals are not pure gold. Only six grams of the medal&#8217;s 506 grams are made of gold, the rest are silver.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading\">How much are Olympic silver and bronze medals worth?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"content-figure flex justify-center mb-[1em] mx-auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"standard-img w-full w-full h-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/uhcUxyhZAeiy9qDkEsercA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/f48fd1dbea1ba41f32d3cc345ef690d3\" alt=\"Team USA&amp;#39;s Sha&#96;carri Richardson poses with her silver medal during the 100 meter medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics Harry Langer\/DeFodi Images via Getty\" width=\"1242\" height=\"828\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-caption\">\n<div><i>Team USA&#8217;s Sha`carri Richardson poses with her silver medal during the 100 meter medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics <\/i>Harry Langer\/DeFodi Images via Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Similar to the gold medals, silver and bronze medals aren&#8217;t 100% pure. The silver medal weighs around 500 grams, while the bronze medal weighs 420 grams.<\/p>\n<p>Silver medals have almost tripled in value, coming in at $1,400. However, bronze medals, which are made of copper, are only worth about $5.60 each.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Much Do Olympians Get Paid When They Medal? All About the Cash Prizes for Winners Gold medalists Ellie Kam and Danny O&#8217;Shea of Team United States on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy ; Breezy Johnson of Team United States competes on day [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1011,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010\/revisions\/1011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}