RIO DE JANEIRO – It almost always pays to be an Olympic medalist.
But under some National Olympic Committees, it pays a little more. As hundreds of athletes leave these Games with medals in hand, they can expect bonuses for their success here.
That comes from a variety of places — their sponsors and the national governing bodies for their sport, among them. But many NOCs also give bonuses to their medalists.
In Russia, a gold medal is worth 4 million RUB — which is the equivalent of about $62,000. And in France, a gold pays 50,000 Euros or about $56,000.
Japanese gold medalists are awarded 5 million yen, or roughly $49,900, from the Japanese Olympic Committee.
The U.S. Olympic Committee’s Operation Gold program awards bonuses for medals in Olympic and non-Olympic years, and it’s the Games that provide the biggest payday. Gold medals net athletes $25,000 apiece, and silver and bronze earn them $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
That means for his six medals here, Michael Phelps will receive $140,000 in bonuses from the USOC. Simone Biles will get $110,000 for her four golds and bronze.
Even Katie Ledecky, who is headed to Stanford and has not turned pro, is eligible to receive her bonuses under NCAA rules. That will give her $110,000 as well.
The numbers USA TODAY Sports collected reveal some quirks.
Korea, for example, awards different amounts for medalists who compete as individual athletes and those who compete on teams.
The German Olympic Sports Confederation only awards bonuses for one medal, so any athlete winning multiple medals would receive the value of his or her best finish alone.
Bonuses like the one Joseph Schooling is set to receive about $740,000 from the Singapore National Olympic Council, which comes thanks to a sponsorship deal, are less the norm.
But so, too, is what British athletes receive: nothing. The British Olympic Association does not award bonuses.
