Some countries offer six-figure incentives for Olympians who win medals. Some pay nothing at all. Here’s a look at who owes what now that the Beijing Games are over.
For the second Winter Olympics in a row, Norway won the most medals of any nation competing, piling up 37 over the last two weeks in Beijing. The country also led the way with 16 gold medals, out of the 109 available across the Games’ 15 sports. But Norway tied for last among the 91 delegations when it came to a different kind of gold. While Norway gives athletes stipends to help cover their training expenses, it does not offer any financial incentives specifically for a medal-winning performance. Dozens of other countries do, however, in some cases offering six-figure bonuses to each medal winner. And of the 31 countries and territories whose medal pay plans Forbes has been able to confirm—18 of which actually won at least one medal in Beijing—no delegation is giving away more than Italy, which is due to pay out $2.7 million for its 17 medals. Italian Olympians are eligible to receive roughly $201,000 from the country’s national Olympic committee for a gold medal, $101,000 for silver and $67,000 for bronze.
