During the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, there was a lot of talk about what medal winners actually receive from the countries that they are representing. With so many medals on the table and many countries earning a medal or a gold medal for the first time, it was interesting to learn more about what medal winners get from their home countries.
While many countries can be quite generous with their payouts, others actually do not offer any monetary incentive to their medal winners. And now that the Paralympics are under way, that same question has been raised. How much money do Paralympians earn for any medals that they win?
And specifically, we wanted to know more about what Great Britain does for their Paralympians.
Do Team GB Paralympians get paid for winning a medal at the games?
Much like their Olympic counterparts, Paralympians for Great Britain are not rewarded for their medals. According to CNBC, neither Olympians or Paralympians earn prize money for winning a medal, even a gold medal.
However, while they do not get paid for winning a medal of any color, it does sound like there is an incentive ahead of the games. Both Olympians and Paralympians for Team GB are paid an "annual training stipend."
There is no word on how much that stipend is, if it is different depending on the athlete and their sport, or even if that is only paid out during an Olympic year. And there is also no word on if the training stipend is different between Olympians and Paralympians.
Considering some countries do not pay the same for medals when it comes to their Olympians versus their Paralympians, it would be interesting to learn more about the training stipend that is offered to the Team GB athletes. That being said, it is nice to know that the country does do something in support of their athletes.
What do you think fellow banterers? Are you surprised that neither the Olympians or the Paralympians earn a monetary reward for their medals? And what do you think of the fact that they receive a training stipend?