How Much Money Do Athletes Earn at Winter Olympics and What Is Medal Prize Money?

While the Olympics themselves are a big business every two years, they have maintained one guiding principle since their inception in 1896.

The International Olympic Committee doesn't compensate athletes directly for their participation or performance.

Of course, athletes do earn endorsement money and collect cash from their individual federations.

In the case of Team USA, financier Ross Stevens stepped up to the plate and made a $100 million donation to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation. Every American Olympian and Paralympian will receive $200,000 for each event in which they're entered through at least 2032.

"The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the ultimate symbol of human excellence. I do not believe that financial insecurity should stop our nation's elite athletes from breaking through to new frontiers of excellence," Stevens said.

"Team USA athletes, extraordinary individuals, have proven they can achieve greatness and represent our incredible country with pride. The Stevens Awards honor the sacrifices they have made on behalf of all Americans while inspiring the development of their dreams in the post-Games chapter of their lives."

Winning a medal is also rewarded, albeit on a much smaller scale.

According to USA Today's Cydney Henderson, Team USA stars receive $37,500 for a gold medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The payouts for silver and bronze are $22,500 and $15,000, respectively.

The prizes were the same in 2022 and 2024 as well.

Henderson wrote that the dollar figures "rank in the middle of the pack" of the 25 countries that provided financial data.

The historic dominance of Team USA in the Olympics and scale of the country's representation have downside in terms of compensation.

Singapore, for example, has never won a gold in the Winter Olympics, and the 2026 Games are just the third time they've competed. As a result, Singaporean who gets a gold in Milano Cortina would earn $788,907 from its Olympic federation, per Henderson.

Chinese skier Eileen Gu, meanwhile, is far and away the highest-paid Olympic athlete with $23 million in total earnings from 2025, per Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen. Her commercial profile was boosted by the fact she chose to compete for China over the United States.

A two-time gold medal winner in 2022, Gu was the silver medalist in the women's ski slopestyle in Milano Cortina.