How much money does a Spanish athlete receive if they win an Olympic medal?

Since its creation in 1896, the Olympic Games They are the most important sporting events for any elite athlete. Winning an Olympic medal means joining an elite group of people who have made a mark in the history of this sport such as Emil Zátopek, Adebe Bikila, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Allyson Felix, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt , among many others.

However, the recognition of winning an Olympic medal is not only symbolic, it can also involve a large sum of money.

This award depends on the federation and the country to which the athlete belongs, since the International Olympic Committee does not offer cash prizes, but it is the responsibility of each of the National Olympic Committees.

In Spain, the Spanish Olympic Committee offers cash prizes to all national athletes who earn an Olympic medal. For the Paris 2024 Games, the COE established the following awards:

• Gold: 94,000 euros.
• Silver: 48,000 euros.
• Bronze: 30,000 euros.

To this total must be added the scholarships from the Olympic Sports Association (ADO), a financial aid system designed to support the nation’s most elite athletes. These scholarships are awarded annually and amount to a total of 60,000 euros for gold medalists, 45,000 euros for silver medalists and 30,000 euros for bronze medalists.

In addition, the international athletics federation (World Athletics) announced in April that it would introduce cash prizes for the first time in history for each of the Olympic champions. This prize will be 50,000 US dollars (about 46,000 euros) for gold medalists, and will be extended to silver and bronze medalists at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

If all these items are added, it can be concluded that a Spanish athlete who wins a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games can get up to 200,000 euros in prizes and aid, a large amount but it can only reach a very small percentage of athletes.