Cows, cars, and $1 million in cash: here are some of the wacky awards countries give their Olympic medalists
One country gave their athletes a whole restaurant.
Olympians train their whole lives for a chance at the rare, split-second glory of being declared the best in their sport once every four years. But some superstar athletes can expect to win more than just a medal.
Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee announced a controversial decision to reward 2024 Paris Track and Field gold medalists with $50,000, in addition to their medals (which will have a piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower embedded in them). Though it is the first time the Olympic committee has offered winners prize money, some countries have long spoiled their award-winning athletes with lavish gifts— from cars to land grants to livestock.
Here’s a closer look at some of the prizes Olympic medalists have received in the past, and what some of them can expect for this year’s games.
Indonesia
When Indonesian badminton athletes Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu returned home from Tokyo in 2021, having won the nation’s only gold medal, they were showered with gifts.
The Indonesian government awarded the pair 5 billion rupiah, or $349,000. Meanwhile, the island of Sulawesi — where Rahayu is from — promised her five cows and a house. Additionally, the popular Indonesian meatball restaurant chain Baso Aci Abang also gave the gold medalists their own shopfront.
Polii, 36, has since retired from the sport. But Rahayu is back in Paris this summer with a different partner to defend her title.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian athletes are promised 5 million riyals ($1.33 million) if they win the nation an Olympic title.
So far, it appears that only one athlete, karate star Tareg Hamedi, has been awarded the prize, which might be the largest Olympic-related payout in the games’ history. The student athlete became a millionaire after he narrowly missed the gold—settling for silver after being disqualified over an illegal kick—at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Russia
Russia has a tradition dating from the Soviet era of showering Olympic medalists with large sums of cash—typically 4 million rubles ($45,300)—and luxury goods.
Medal winners have been gifted premium cars (the 2016 medalists won BMW X5s, which several promptly sold, unable to pay for their upkeep), and luxury apartments valued at $500,000 to $1,000,000. Some winners at the Rio Games also won racehorses.
Victory in Russia also translates to success outside the sport, with several Olympic athletes transitioning to careers in politics.
“In our country, success at the Olympics is a direct path to the State Duma [parliament] and power,” a 2016 article in Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reads.
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, a law that entitles Olympic winners to apartments—the size of which differs according to their medal color.
A gold medalist earns a three-bedroom apartment, a silver medalist earns a two-bedroom, and a bronze medalist a one-bedroom.
South Korea
South Korea has a very practical award for its medalists: exemption from military service.
The nation’s law requires all able-bodied men to enlist for 18 months of military service, which they must begin before age 28.
While temporary deferment is possible, a full waiver is rare, even for international pop stars and members of boy bands. But an Olympian who wins any medal can skip the service.
That comes on top of prize money and even a pension. South Korean gold medalists are awarded a 63 million won bonus ($43,288), and an option of either a lifelong monthly pension of a million won, or a lump sum of 67.2 million won.
A silver medalist earns 35 million won, and a bronze medalist gets 25 million won, with neither receiving a pension.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong, which competes separately from China in the Olympics, has some of the most handsome cash prizes for its medalists.
The city-state awards a prize of $768,000 for a gold medal, $380,000 for a silver medal, and $192,000 for the bronze.
In addition, Hong Kong’s public transit system, the MTR Corporation, gives free lifetime tickets to the city’s medalists, according to local media reports.
United States
The United States awards cash prizes to medalists, although their worth is significantly below some other nations’. A gold medalist wins $38,000, while a silver wins $23,000, and a bronze wins $15,000.
For some, the sum is not enough to cover the expenses of food, training, and equipment required to compete at the highest level.
Other nations’ cash prizes
Many nations offer cash bonuses to their athletes on the podium.
