How Much Do Olympic Athletes Earn

How Much Do Olympic Athletes Earn How Much Do Olympic (Both Summer And Winter) Athletes Earn? As eyes are on the 2018  Winter Games in PyeongChang, the answer still surprises me. Most Olympians earn nothing for Olympic competition. Many countries Olympic teams, including the United States, provide travel expenses to Olympic competitors, but even these funds dont come directly from the government, rather a pool of private and corporate donors. The only direct income a few Olympians receive for their competition is from corporate sponsorships. For an A-list Olympian, like Shawn White, that means plenty of dough to support  himself  while training and competing. White reportedly earns  $10 million a year. This is all  thanks to his many tournament winnings, but mostly because of his endorsement deals, which include  brands such as Burton, Kraft, and Red Bull. Another two-time winter Olympic medal winner, Lindsey Vonn has made roughly $3 million by reaching the apex of her sport. She has sponsorship deals with  Under Armour, Head, Red Bull, Oakley and Rolex, and is now heading to South Korea to build on her already successful (and lucrative) career. So how much do less famous competitors get paid? All U.S. athletes can earn a medal bonus from the U.S. Olympic committee for each medal won. The Committee pays American medal winners 25,000 USD for gold, 15,000 USD for silver, and 10,000 USD for bronze medals. Some countries, though not all, pay athletes similar medal bonuses: CountryGoldSilverBronze Singapore1,000,000 USD500,000 USD250,000 USD Indonesia746,000 USD378,000 USD188,000 USD Kazakhstan250,000 USD150,000 USD75,000 USD Azerbaijan248,000 USD124,000 USD62,000 USD Italy166,000 USD83,000 USD55,000 USD Hungary125,000 USD89,000 USD71,000 USD Russia61,000 USD38,000 USD26,000 USD France55,000 USD22,000 USD14,000 USD USA37,500 USD22,500 USD15,000 USD South Africa37,000 USD19,000 USD7,000 USD Germany22,000 USD17,000 USD11,000 USD Canada15,000 USD11,000 USD8,000 USD While the  UK does not offer specific medal bonuses, it does  devote   £125 million  ($162 million USD) of government and lottery funds to Olympic and Paralympic sports each year, some of which goes to annual athlete stipends. UK Olympic medalists get a stipend of $36,000 USD per year to train and compete. But what about athletes that compete but dont medal? Other than the thrill of competition, they have to fight hard for  other compensation. In the US, track and field stars, each in the top 10 nationally in their events, make an average of only 16,553  USD per year. Many of the over 500 US Olympians have to find other ways to make ends meet. Meanwhile, IOC members get paid more to watch the Olympics ($7,650 USD for 2.5 weeks of work) than most athletes will make competing in the games. According to the Washington Postxtxsdeef: Even USOC officials concede that, with the exceptions of the handful of megastars such as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte who rake in big endorsement money and those who play sports with lucrative professional leagues, most U.S. Olympic athletes cannot earn enough from their sports to make a living. Summary While medal  bonuses are a nice way to reward (both summer and winter) athletes financially for a big, big accomplishment, many will never enjoy the steady income that comes with a corporate sponsorship, making what they endure to compete all the more impressive. Read more Skiing And Snowboarding On A Budget Rock Climbing And Mountain Climbing On A Budget