How Do Olympic Athletes Make Money?

Written by Lauren Ko

With the winter olympics now finished, athletes go back to their regularly scheduled sports. But how much money did they make at the Olympics and how do they earn money the rest of the year? Well, it may surprise you but these athletes don’t get paid to compete in the Olympics!

Instead, they are paid in various other ways through their country’s olympic committees, various endorsements and sponsorships and having regular day jobs. Most athletes get paid by their countries' Olympic committees. These Olympic committees pay the olympians through prize money and bonuses. Some countries pay sizable amounts, while others pay close to nothing. 

(Olympic Medals Scaled -Garfield Refining)

In Canada, athletes are paid for winning olympic medals. $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. This is actually on the lower side of compensation compared to other countries. The country that pays the most is Hong Kong paying just over $1,000,000 CAD per athlete. Keep in mind, though, Hong Kong doesn’t have many athletes at the Olympics (this year they only sent four athletes) and rarely do they win medals. In all of Hong Kong’s history at competing at the Olympics they have won 13 medals in both winter and summer. Whereas Canada sent 207 athletes this year and have won 578 medals in both summer and winter Olympics overall. Getting a medal means an extra paycheck for these athletes. 

There are some countries that don’t pay their athletes medal bonuses. Norway, who usually dominates the winter olympics, doesn't give bonuses to its athletes, but they do give them a regular salary to cover medical and training services. Other countries such as the UK do not give their athletes medal bonuses, but do provide financial support. 

Most athletes don’t get paid to attend and compete at the Olympics, but rather to get international recognition and to represent their country. But they have to find different ways to make money. Athletes get money through sponsorships and endorsements, and if their NOC cannot pay for their travel and living expenses at the Olympics, most of them get that money through sponsorships. 

Many athletes also partner with companies and promote their product. Some of the high paying athletes make money through sponsorships. Take Eileen Gu for example, an Olympic snowboarder who competes for China. She is currently the highest paid winter olympic athlete with an estimated 23 million dollars earned in 2025. This money comes from the sponsorship deals she does with brands such as Vogue, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton as well as many other Chinese brands. Other examples include Usain Bolt, who had a partnership with Puma valued at 10 million, or Simone Biles who earned 7 million in endorsement deals in 2023 from brands such as Nike and Visa. 

(Olympic athletes vs day jobs - Daily Mail

The last way Olympic athletes make money is just by doing regular jobs. Many athletes fund their Olympic dreams by having a regular day job. Many of them work as real estate agents, engineers and dentists. Most athletes work their job during the day and train at night. Overall, being an athlete is hard. Between balancing money and your training, it can be unpredictable. We should have more appreciation for those who represent our country with no promise of getting anything in return. 

Bibliography:

•  “Participation of Athletes from Hong Kong in the Olympic Games.” Wikipedia.org, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 29 Dec. 2007, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• “Participation of Athletes from Canada in the Olympic Games.” Wikipedia.org, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 3 Oct. 2007, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• Cerullo, Megan. “Olympians Going for Gold Juggle Day Jobs to Bring in Some Green.” CBS News Cbsnews.com, 19 Feb. 2026, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• “Canadian Olympic Committee Athlete Excellence Fund (AEF) - Team Canada.” Team Canada, 19 Oct. 2018, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• Jones, Chris. “Canada’s Sarault Has Earned $55K for Her 3 Medals so Far. If She Were Italian, It Would Be Nearly 7 Times That.” CBC, 17 Feb. 2026, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• Treacy, Dan. “Do Olympic Athletes Get Paid? What to Know about Salaries, Prize Money, Bonuses and How Competitors Make Money.” Sportingnews.com, 16 Feb. 2026, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• Tikkanen, Amy. “Do Olympic Athletes Get Paid? | Bonuses, Monetary Prizes, Endorsements, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Feb. 2026, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

• Badenhausen, Kurt. “How Eileen Gu Became the Highest-Paid Winter Olympic Athlete.” Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026, Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.