There is more than Olympic glory on the line when athletes chase a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics. For many countries, including the United States, there's a cash prize for those who make it to the medal stand at the Milano Cortina Games.
USA TODAY Sports recently asked the Olympic committees of 30 countries how much each is paying its Olympic medalists this month, and the U.S. ranked closer to the bottom than the top of the list among participating nations. On average, the 25 countries that responded said they will pay athletes $123,736.72 for gold, $72,450.92 for silver and $44,549.12 for bronze. (The amounts are paid in the host country's currency, but were converted into U.S. dollars for consistency.)
Some countries feature additional perks. Poland, for instance, will give its gold medal winners a Toyota Corolla, fully furnished two-room apartment, painting, holiday voucher and jewelry. Norway, who leads the medal count at the 2026 Winter Olympics, was among the nations that don't pay its athletes for a medal performance but provides financial support ahead of the Olympic Games.
Here's a further breakdown of how much Team USA medalists will make at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as well as how it compares to some of the other countries participating at the Milano Cortina Games:
How much do Team USA athletes get paid for winning an Olympic medal?
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's "Operation Gold Awards" will pay athletes $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics. It's the same amount awarded at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and 2024 Paris Olympics.
How much do Olympic medalists get paid? Team USA vs. other countries
All figures according to USA TODAY Sports and CNBC.
- Singapore: $788,907 (gold), $394,497 (silver), $197,292 (bronze)
- Hong Kong: $767,747 (gold), $383,877 (silver), $191,938 (bronze)
- Malaysia: $256,000 (gold), $77,000 (silver), $26,000 (bronze)
- Kazakhstan: $250,000 (gold), $150,000 (silver), $75,000 (bronze)
- Poland: $211,268 (gold), $169,000 (silver), $124,000 (bronze)
- Italy: $209,804 (gold), $104,924 (silver), $69,946 (bronze)
- South Korea: $208,000 (gold), $139,000 (silver), $70,000 (bronze)
- Slovenia: $162,672 (gold), $134,297 (silver), $114,295 (bronze)
- Bulgaria: $150,000 (gold), $120,000 (silver), $60,000 (bronze)
- Estonia: $118,692 (gold), $83,096 (silver), $53,429 (bronze)
- Czechia: $117,816 (gold), $88,362 (silver), $59,918 (bronze)
- Spain: $111,818 (gold), $57,110 (silver), $35,674 (bronze)
- France: $94,990 (gold), $47,495 (silver), $23,749 (bronze)
- Slovakia: $71,257 (gold), $59,385 (silver), $47,507 (bronze)
- Andorra: $71,000 (gold), $47,000 (silver), $24,000 (bronze)
- Brazil: $67,183 (gold), $40,310 (silver), $26,875 (bronze)
- Switzerland: $64,854 (gold), $51,889 (silver), $38,917 (bronze)
- Belgium: $59,385 (gold), $35,621 (silver), $23,747 (bronze)
- Finland: $59,385 (gold), $35,621 (silver), $23,747 (bronze)
- United States: $37,500 (gold), $22,500 (silver), $15,000 (bronze)
- Germany: $35,674 (gold), $23,747 (silver), $11,892 (bronze)
- Netherlands: $35,674 (gold), $17,838 (silver), $8,920 (bronze)
- Japan: $33,000 (gold), $13,000 (silver), $7,000 (bronze)
- Austria: $23,747 (gold), $20,229 (silver), $16,659 (bronze)
- Canada: $18,369 (gold), $14,695 (silver), $11,023 (bronze)
- Denmark: $15,933 (gold), $11,950 (silver), $7,965 (bronze)
- Australia: $14,111 (gold), $10,587 (silver), $7,058 (bronze0
- New Zealand: $3,018 (gold), $1,811 (silver), $1,207 (bronze)
- Norway: $0
- Sweden: $0
- Great Britain: $0
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much do 2026 Winter Olympics medal winners get paid: US vs. world