Here are the countries giving huge rewards for Olympic success

It doesn’t come that often. And it’s not that easy too. Four years of hard work towards winning an Olympic medal can swiftly elude an athlete in a blink of an eye or moment of a dive. Ask US runner Allyson Felix how she lost to Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas.

So when the medal is finally won, it is a great moment.

Officially the Olympic committee does not offer any cash prize for a gold, silver or a bronze medal. But athletes do get some rewards for making their respective countries proud considering where they come from.

Ghana promised their 2016 Rio Olympic Games athletes a cash prize of $5000 for every gold medal won.

Unfortunately no medal was won by any of the 16 athletes that represented Team Ghana. So let’s move on to the athletes who won something for their country.

The debate of whether Ghana should reward our sports men and women who represent the country has been going on since ages past. Majority of the citizens of Ghana think the pride of representing Team Ghana is enough. No cash. Nothing.

Great Britian conform to that notion. Athletes do not get anything for winning an Olympic medal for their country.

For other nations who have the money and not the very good athletes to win them a medal every time they participate as we’ve seen Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps do, motivation for the gold medal is not an issue. A huge motivation that is.

From close to a million dollars to quarter of a million dollars, here are the nations giving huge cash rewards for the athletes winning gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Taiwan

Officially not an official country for the Olympic Games. Taiwanese woman weightlifter Hsu Shu-ching won gold by competing under the banner of Chinese Taipei.

Shu-ching is being rewarded with $952, 000 cash prize by the Taiwan Ministry of Education and the Olympic Committee of the island.

Singapore

Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal was won by swimmer Joseph Schooling. The feat pleased the nation who rewarded their athlete with $746,000. The money is from Singapore’s National Olympics Council programme to reward athletes for medals won at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, South East Asian Games and the Olympic Games.

Indonesia

Indonesia are offering a cash prize of $382,000.

Thailand

Thailand will offer their Olympic gold medalists with as cash reward of $290,000.

Malaysia

Malaysia are offering winners of gold medals at the Olympics $251,000.

Brazil

Host nation of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games are giving their athletes a quarter of a million dollars for each gold medal won.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan are paying $247,000 to their athletes for bring Olympic gold glory to the country.

Azerbaijan

$250,000! From Azerbaijan, with love for an Olympic Gold medallist.

Philippines

Philippines will thank their athletes with $216,000 for every gold medal they win at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Kyrgyzstan

$200,000.

The United States of America and other nations like France, South Korea, China and Japan also offer some amount of money to their gold medalists.

The athletes from the United States of America however have to play state and federal taxes on the prize money awarded. Gold and silver medals are taxed based on the value of the medals. Bronze is however negligible and therefore are not taxed.

Not just about the cash

Aside the cash and commercial deals these athletes may get from companies from their native countries, some have had big enough appreciations too.

There has been instances where a national holiday has been declared because an athlete won gold for their country.

Plots of lands have also been given out.

And if you thought Real Madrid star and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was the only sportsman getting things named after him for winning, think again. Athletes have had airplanes named after them for winning gold.

The Olympic Games, for the pride, for the glory and for the cash!