Canada pays Olympic medalists 20 times less than Bangladesh

Olympic cash prize for medalists: Singapore and Taiwan pay 50 times more and Bangladesh 20 times more than Canada

The Canadian Bazaar

TORONTO: The Olympics are the biggest sporting event on earth and it has cost Japan  $15.4 billion to host the Tokyo Olympics (2020).

At this edition of the Olympics, 11,090 athletes (51 percent males and 49 percent females) are competing for 1,017 medals in 339 events in 33 sports at 42 venues across Japan.

Over 79,000 overseas officials, support staff and journalists are attending these games where no spectators have been allowed.

Representing their countries at the Olympics is the greatest honour for athletes. Top three in any event get medals and those finish among the top eight get an Olympic diploma or a certificate. There is no cash award at the Olympics.

But winning medals at the Olympics spells cash bonanza for athletes in many countries.

Pathetically, rich western nations such as Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden give no cash awards to their medalists even as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Kazakhstan bestow fat cash awards on their champions.

Even our Oh Canada offers what amounts to a pittance to medal winners – $15,000 for a gold medalist and $7,000 for a bronze winner. Singapore offers 50 times more, Bangladesh 20 times more and India seven times more than Canada!

Here’s what various nations give their medal winners. 

1: Singapore tops the list.

Gold: $737,000.   

Silver: $369,000

Bronze: $184,000.

2: Taiwan

Gold: $720,000

Silver: $250,000

Bronze: $180,000

3: Indonesia

Gold: $346,000

Silver: $138,400

Bronze: $69,200

4: Bangladesh

Gold: $300,000

Silver: $200,00

Bronze: $100,00

5: Kazakhstan: This Central Asian country too pays its winners handsomely.

Gold: $250,000

Silver: $150,000

Bronze: $75,000

6: Malaysia

Gold: $236,000

Silver: $71,000

Bronze: $24,000

7: Italy

Gold: $213,000

Silver: $107,000

Bronze: $71,000

8 Hungary

Gold: $168,000

Silver: $126,000

Bronze: $96,000

9: Kosovo

Gold: $119,000 (100,000 euros)

Silver: $71,200 (60,000 euros)

Bronze: $47467. (40,000 euros)

10: India

Gold: $100,834 (Rs 7,500,000)

Silver: $53,778 (Rs 4,000,000)

Bronze: $33,611 (Rs 2,500,000)

11: Japan and Brazil

Gold: $45,000 – $49,000

Silver: $18,000 – $29,000

Bronze: $9,000 – $20,000

12: US

Gold: $37,500

Silver: $22,500

Bronze: $15,000

13: Canada and Australia

Gold: $16,000 – $15,000

Silver: $12,000 – $11,000

Bronze: $8,000 – $7,000