The U.S. Winter athletes made a big splash "290 million won just before you started." Hong Kong pays 1.1 billion won to 金

*This content was translated by AI.

It is an Olympics that has special meaning just by putting significance on participation, but for someone, the participation itself is an opportunity to touch a lot of money. There is a special motivation for the U.S. athletes who will participate in the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, which will be held on the 7th (Korea Standard Time).

The Wall Street Journal said on the 4th (Korea time) that U.S. athletes participating in the Winter Olympics will receive bonuses of about 200,000 dollars and 290 million won in Korean won regardless of whether they win a medal or not.

Initially, the U.S. did not pay a separate reward, and this time, the federal government did not raise a separate reward, but the situation changed rapidly as the U.S. business community took over.

U.S. financier Ross Stevens made a huge $100 million (about 145.3 billion won) donation to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The reason was that I wanted to provide financial stability to the players.

Stevens said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, "I don't think financial instability should prevent the development of our country's elite players."

However, this amount is not paid in a lump sum, but is provided as a pension system for the purpose of the players' stable lives. The first $100,000 is guaranteed to the bereaved family after the athlete's death, 20 years after qualifying for the Olympics or later when he becomes 45 years old.

It's not that there wasn't a reward. Currently, the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOPC) paid prize money only to athletes who won medals, but it was covered by TV broadcasting rights and sponsorship, not by itself. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, $37,500 (about 54 million won) was paid to the gold medalist, $22,500 (about 32 million won) to the silver medal, and $15,000 (about 21 million won) to the bronze medal.

If you look at the international mega sports competition, you can easily see that there are not many athletes who focus only on their careers. There are many players who have their own jobs and devote themselves to training after finishing their work. For these players, the reward is expected to be of tremendous economic help.

CBS Sports said, "Many countries provide pensions and retirement benefits to athletes, but the USOPC did not have the funds to provide these benefits to athletes before President Stevens' donation because it did not receive federal support. Now that funds have been secured, 232 athletes from the U.S. national team participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be the first beneficiaries."

Many countries outside the U.S. also reward athletes participating in the competition. Last month, Sports Illustrated (SI) revealed the amount of rewards each country gave to athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Prizes from Hong Kong and Singapore far exceed the size of the U.S. bonus. Hong Kong paid $768,000 (about 1.17 billion won), $384,000 (about 558 million won) for silver, and $192,000 (about 279 million won) for bronze. Singapore also reached $745,000 (about 1.084 billion won) for gold, $373,000 (about 542 million won) for silver, and $186,000 (about 270 million won) for bronze.

Unlike the size of the economy, there was something in common that showed more size in Asian countries with high interest in the Olympics. Indonesia ($300,000 for gold), Kazakhstan ($250,000 for gold), and Malaysia ($216,000 for gold).

South Korea paid $45,000 (about 65 million won) to the gold medalist, $25,000 (about 36 million won) to the silver medal, and $18,000 (about 26 million won) to the bronze medal. However, Korea is characterized by the fact that most of its athletes are active as professional athletes and that pensions are paid to medal-winning athletes.

In addition to financial support, they often provide many benefits, and Kazakhstan provided all medalists with apartments along with cash.

Although American athletes have not received a large amount of money, they have benefited from various education, professional development, and legal support regardless of medal status. He also received tuition, training subsidies, and tax support.

If you win a medal, you can also raise funds by selling it yourself. According to Forbes, the 2024 Olympic gold medal was worth $950 (about 1.4 million won) at the time. The gold medal is plated with at least 92.5 percent silver and about 6 grams of pure gold. However, the price of gold and silver has doubled in the past year, and the price of medals is also expected to rise.

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*This content was translated by AI.