How much will athletes earn for winning an Olympic medal at Paris 2024?

The Olympic Games return on July 26th, and one topic of debate that has heated up over recent weeks is athletes getting paid for medals at the Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not pay athletes for their performance at the Games because the Games started as an amateur endeavor. However, in 1986, the Olympic Charter invited "all the world's great male and female athletes to participate."

According to the National News website, World Athletics has announced that gold medallists in Paris will receive prize money, meaning track and field athletes will become the first Olympic participants to be rewarded directly by a governing body.

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A prize pot of $2.4 million (£1.8m, €2.1m) has been set aside by World Athletics to award the gold medallist of the 48 track and field events. An individual winner will receive $50,000 (£38,263,€45,821), and relay teams will split the $50,000 between their team evenly.

The Tuko website reports Olympic medallist Gabby Thomas said: "This is just done off of hopes and dreams and effort, and a lot of people don't have the same opportunity. So, to see track and field making a difference in that way is remarkable. I can't wait to see other sports follow suit."

USA Today conducted a survey and contacted the National Olympic Committees of some countries to enquire about the purse their athletes would receive at the Paris Games.

The average amount the 25 respondents said they would pay their athletes was $95,000 (£73,165, €87,060) for gold, $55,000 (£42,358, €50,403) for silver, and $39,000 (£30,036, €35,740) for bronze.

Malaysia, Morocco, and Serbia have all promised their athletes over $200,000 (£154,031, €183,285) for winning a gold medal, while the US Olympic committee has broken it down to $37,500 (£28,880, €34,366) for gold, $22,500 (£17,328, €20,619) for silver, and $15,000 (£11,552, €13,746) for bronze.

The National News reported that the International Boxing Association will award boxers for medalling at the Paris Games, despite being stripped of recognition by the IOC in 2023.

According to the IBA website, a gold medallist will receive $100,000 (£77,023, €91,647) for winning gold, $50,000 (£38,511, €45,823) for silver, and $25,000 (£19,255, €22,911) for bronze. Should all governing bodies award their athletes financially for the blood, sweat, and tears they put in towards the Olympic Games?

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