Here's How Much Olympic Medalists Make, and How Much the Medals Are Actually Worth
Olympic athletes aren't paid to compete . . . but when they win, they usually do get a little somethin' somethin' from their home countries.
The U.S. Olympic Committee is paying out $37,500 per gold medal this year . . . $22,500 per silver . . . and $15,000 for each bronze.
That's actually on the LOW END. Some countries give out WAY more. Serbia is at the top of the list, with $214,000 per gold medal. Although they only have TWO gold medals so far, so they're paying out way less than the U.S.
Malaysia and Morocco are also in that range.
Australia is the cheapest country, only handing out $13,340.
Singapore reportedly had a $737,000 bounty on gold medals in 2021 . . . but they didn't win ANY medals that year. Their last medal was a gold in the men's 100m butterfly in 2016.
Gymnast Carlos Yulo of the Philippines just became his country's first male gold medalist, and he's getting private sector gifts like a condo, a house, free food for life . . . plus about $450,000 from his government.
So what are the medals themselves worth? Not much, based on the materials used.
The gold medals haven't actually been pure gold since 1912. And this year's are 95.4% silver. (???) Their value is about $950.
A silver medal is worth $486, and a bronze will only get you $13 at the scrapyard. (???)
But all the medals contain original iron that was used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower, which is pretty cool.
(People)
Originally posted on August 8th, 2024