Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Money and Work

    Here's how much money Olympians from different countries get for winning gold

    It varies a lot more than you think

    By Marie Claire
    Published 22 August 2016 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    It varies a lot more than you think

    Great Britain did overwhelmingly well at this year's Olympic games, ranking second in the world after bringing in a massive total of 27 gold medals, 23 silver and 17 bronze - making Rio 2016 our best games yet. When you consider that we're a relatively small country by comparison, it makes our athletes' achievements all the more impressive. Take a look at the best bits of Rio 2016.

    But newly released information has revealed just how much money athletes from all over the world get if they win a gold medal. And it varies a fair amount country to country...

    Figures from Statista showed that athletes from Singapore benefit the most financially if they win a gold medal, receiving £578,000 (1 million Singapore dollars) in prize money as a reward.

    You might be wondering where Great Britain fits in in terms of a cash reward for gold medallists, but don't hold your breath if you're expecting anything impressive (or anything at all). Our athletes receive absolutely nothing in the way of prize money should they manage to get the gold. The self-satisfaction and priceless Olympic medal is seen as more than enough glory for them, apparently.

    You may like
    • Senior Health Editor Ally Head's Oura Ring 5 Review: Testing during the England vs Argentina match I Learned More About My Health Wearing An Oura Ring During The England Match Than I Did From Any Workout
    • Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond
    • A montage of photos from the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit How the British Grand Prix Has Become the UK’s Most Glamorous Sporting Weekend

    We're not alone in not paying out when it comes to rewarding our athletes, though - countries including Sweden, Norway and Croatia also don't reward their gold medallists financially.

    Here's how the countries break down in terms of gold medal pay outs:

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Singapore - £578,000 Indonesia - £294,000 Azerbaijan - £196,000 Kazakhstan - £176,000 Italy - £142,000 France - £51,000 Russia - £47,000 South Africa - £28,000 USA - £19,000 Germany - £15,000 Australia - £12,000 Great Britain - £0

    Unlike the medal table where we championed almost the entire rest of the world, this is a table where you'll find Great Britain sit right at the bottom.

    It's the winning that's important though, right?

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Senior Health Editor Ally Head's Oura Ring 5 Review: Testing during the England vs Argentina match
    Fitness I Learned More About My Health Wearing An Oura Ring During The England Match Than I Did From Any Workout
    Some of the best female athletes in the world right now, plus the ones to watch, featuring Dina Asher Smith, Faith Kipyegon, Keely Hodgkinson, Serena Williams and Simone Biles
    Fitness 50 Influential Female Athletes To Know, Watch, and Follow—in 2026 and Beyond
     
     
    A montage of photos from the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit
    Health and Fitness How the British Grand Prix Has Become the UK’s Most Glamorous Sporting Weekend
    Endometriosis in female athletes: From left to right, Stef Williams, Charlotte Henshaw and Lillie Bleasdale
    Health and Fitness Elite Sportswomen Are Breaking the Silence on Endometriosis—and It’s Long Overdue
     
     
    Latest in Money and Work
    Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS
    Money and Work The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
    Well-dressed businesswoman walking on the street of Manhattan, New York and talking on the phone while heading to work during one autumn day.
    Money and Work Is Gen Z Really Lazy at Work, or Just Done with Burnout Culture?
     
     
    Milan, Italy - 20 February 2020: Stylish persons are posing for photographers before Max Mara fashion show on Milan Woman's Fashion Week F/W2020-2021, street style - stock photo
    Money and Work Women Are Delaying This Financial Step, But It Could Be Easier Than You Think.
     Student Loan
    Money and Work I Can’t Keep Up With My Student Loan — Millions of British Graduates Can’t Either
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
     
     
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
    Mischa Anouk Smith on an astrology travel trip to Türkiye, where she got engaged less than 24 hours after a birth chart reading.
    Travel I Let Astrology Plan My Holiday—Less Than 24 Hours Later, I Was Engaged
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.