How much does Nina Derwael get paid for her Olympic title? Less than in Singapore, but more than in the US
Gymnast Nina Derwael took the gold in the uneven bars on Sunday. Apart from eternal fame, how much money does she earn with her Olympic title? And how does this compare to other countries? It turns out that Asian countries are quite generous for their athletes.
The Belgian Olympic Committee, with the help from the National Lottery, promised a sum of 50,000 euros for an individual athlete taking Gold. This is 30,000 and 20,000 euros respectively for silver and bronze. In team sports like hockey or basketball, this is less: 12,500, 7,500 or 5,000 euros per athlete. Coaches also get their share, but their bonus cannot exceed 25 percent of an athlete's sum.
Though it is not incredibly much for a hard-to-get Olympic title, Nina Derwael will be happy with 50,000 euros: her 2019 world title only earned her 2,725 euros, though the gym federation added a sum that was not disclosed - and of course, an Olympic title will become an indirect source of money, e.g. through sponsoring.
Singapore offers over half a million
Singapore must be the most generous country where official grants are concerned, with 622,000 euros for Gold, half of this amount for silver and a quarter of that amont for bronze. Athletes have not been able to take advantage of this so far, since no competitor has been able to grab a medal for Singapore yet.
Forbes reports that Asian countries are the most generous. Taiwan has earmarked 603,000 euros for Gold. Indonesia is on three, with 292,000 euros and a monthly pay of 1,180. A poor country like Bangladesh honours its Olympic champions with 252,000 each. Host country Japan has modest sums: 38,000 for each Gold.
A house, a van and free air travel
Sometimes, an Olympic title will mean something extra. In the Philippines, weight lifter Hidilyn Diaz got 169,000 - at least, that was the plan. But after giving her country the first Gold in 97 years, she got an extra 800,000 euros from private companies. On top of that, she got a house, an apartment, a van and unlimited travel with to airliners.
Estonia also has an original way of rewarding its top athletes: an annual sum of 4,600 euros for life.
United States follow behind Belgium
The Netherlands are paying a bit less than Belgium: 30,000 for an Olympic title, our Sporza colleagues report. In Germany this is only 20,000. France is doing better, with 65,000 euros, but can't beat Italy, which promised 180,000 euros to each new Olympic champion. The new sprint champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs will be happy to hear it.
This is in stark contrast with some other countries like Norway, Sweden, Britain and New Zealand, who say it's all about the honour and who are paying nothing. The United States earmarked 32,000 euros for each Gold.
