Re:Getting over Gold: Athletes and Mental Health
by 45ure on Monday August 02, 2021 @09:46AM
(#28036426)
There are some countries, which reward their athletes handsomely, either financially or via some form of compensation through benefits. However, you will generally find that they don't have a comprehensive program or a support network in place, and the historically low medal count might have a role to play. There are also detractors, who don't agree with the practice of paying for medals.
https://old.reddit.com/r/olympics/comments/orije1/check_out_...
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/29/tokyo-olympics-how-much-athl...
https://techpolicyinstitute.org/publications/miscellaneous/d...
Re:Getting over Gold: Athletes and Mental Health
by dillondoyle on Monday August 02, 2021 @12:29PM
(#28038819)
That $ also pales in comparison to sponsorships for the more popular sports. Even the 'medium' sports, Brooke (climbing team USA) is in car commercials now.
Though the small sports can still struggle to even get enough resources to train full time, USOC should work on that.
Re:Getting over Gold: Athletes and Mental Health
by asicsp on Monday August 02, 2021 @09:19AM
(#28036139)
Every medal is cherished here in India and gets lot of coverage in media.
Re:Getting over Gold: Athletes and Mental Health
by _fat_santa on Monday August 02, 2021 @09:58AM
(#28036592)
Even looking past the direct monetary benefits, I wonder if having "Former Olympian" on your resume will give you a boost looking for jobs.
I've noticed that even after a small stint at a prestigious aerospace company, I still get calls that stem from folks seeing that on my resume, I would imagine being a former Olympian would give you a similar leg up.
Re:Getting over Gold: Athletes and Mental Health
by TGImemegen on Monday August 02, 2021 @09:06AM
(#28035990)
Mercedes (if you mean the car)
Many countries have a financial reward for medals. Russia gives you a new Mercedes, a six-figure USD sum and a lifetime pension for a gold (the Mercedes is for any medal, but the model gets worse.) (This was in 2014, I think they may have jiggered the reward since then). The US pays five-figures to any medal winner.
I'm not saying that it's a good business decision, but it's definitely some compensation depending on the country.
I also wonder how it works in smaller countries. If you are the gold medalist from your country do you get endorsements? Like, sure, the US team won X, but we have a lot of medals and how many people really care about that sport. As of today Iran has won one medal (a gold) and Kuwait has won one medal (a bronze). Are those people heroes back home?
*Edit: Thanks to the person who corrected my spelling