Olympic medal winners to be paid for being on podium

[OILFAN #81]

http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/news_stor...223220&hubname=

Starting next Olympics in Beijing:

$20 K for Gold

$15 K for Silver

$10 K for Bronze

[foofighter15]

Wow. Clearly they are doing that because they have money left over from the medals budget. How cheap do they look?

[CaptainCrunch]

Is chess still a sport, because I figure that I can roid up and intimidate some chess playing nerds right to the Podium

Nerd - "Check"

CaptainCrunch - "you might want to reconsider"

[habernac]

it's dick compared to what the US athletes make, but it's a start.

[flamesaresmokin]

I only hope that the nhl players on canada's hockey team aren't receiving this money. that should be deservedly going to the athlete's that don't get paid millions.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by habernac

it's dick compared to what the US athletes make, but it's a start.

What kind of money do they get down there? What are some other countries giving to their athletes?

[habernac]

I believe the Americans get between 50,000 - 100,000 for gold. If you want your best team, why not give them some monetary incentive?

[Jason14h]

Americans get 29,000 according to TSN last night. Italy was first at 180,000

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Americans get 29,000 according to TSN last night. Italy was first at 180,000

hmmm, I could have sworn I read it was higher. Thx for the correction.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Americans get 29,000 according to TSN last night. Italy was first at 180,000

See that seems about right, if you want your athletes to win. Works out to $45,000/year for the 4 years of training and so on before or after the Oylimpics.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Italy was first at 180,000

I heard on the radio that was only for the last Olympics; which were held in Italy.

[GirlySports]

Think this was discussed before.
South Korean male gold medalists get exemption from their mandatory military service!

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

http://www.tsn.ca/olympics/news_stor...223220&hubname=

Starting next Olympics in Beijing:

$20 K for Gold

$15 K for Silver

$10 K for Bronze

This money should be invested into athletes BEFORE the olympics. Put this money into training facilities, coaches, athletic therapists, etc. If I had the choice of $20K or a gold medal, I'd take a gold medal any day. I really don't get how this is going to get more athletes on the podium.

I think this is a stupid idea that somehow got through. Do amateur sports need money? Yes. Is this the right way to do it? Absolutely not.

[habernac]

so you'd rather our best athletes work at Home Depot instead of concentrating on their jobs as athletes?

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by habernac

so you'd rather our best athletes work at Home Depot instead of concentrating on their jobs as athletes?

I could be in the minority here, but I'm not a huge fan of supporting athletes financially with public money. There are a lot of useless government jobs out there already and I'm not sure it's a good idea to have "biathalon" (among others) included in that category. I find I don't feel a great deal of sympathy for any athlete who complains about how hard it is to make ends meet while they train 6 days a week at the Oval.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by habernac

so you'd rather our best athletes work at Home Depot instead of concentrating on their jobs as athletes?

Absolutely not. I'm in complete support of amateur sports and think there should be more money put towards them. I just think money should go into the programs before they get to the podium, rather than after.

Here's a hypothetical situation for you, and remove the fact that students are inherently poor out of the equation (I was one, I know how it feels). Let's say I'll give you $150 if you get 90% on an exam, but you get little to no extra help. You are working a job and trying to study for the test....tough to get 90% isn't it?

On the flip side, I'll give you $150 and you get a study guide, a textbook, and even an afternoon off of work before the test.

Which one would be more useful? I think you misinterpreted my quote. I don't want the best athletes working at Home Depot, I want them to have the time to train to reach that podium.

[simmer2]

Originally Posted by fredr123

I could be in the minority here, but I'm not a huge fan of supporting athletes financially with public money. There are a lot of useless government jobs out there already and I'm not sure it's a good idea to have "biathalon" (among others) included in that category. I find I don't feel a great deal of sympathy for any athlete who complains about how hard it is to make ends meet while they train 6 days a week at the Oval.

There's a health pandemic spreading across the nation and something needs to be addressed. Kids are becoming fatter and lazier. How can you change that? Maybe having a hero to look up to when kids are watching the television. A hero that needs to exercise and be among the fittest in the world.

People need to have dreams and goals. It's a heck of a lot easier to create these and believe they can happen when you watch someone accomplish it right in front of your eyes.

Athletes are trying to make their dreams happen and I don't think they are looking for sympathy from someone like yourself. They may be looking for a bit of help, but in general, athletes are among some of the most selfless around. You try training 40hrs a week and work a full time job. Personally, if I can help someone reach a goal that VERY FEW IN THE WORLD can accomplish, I'd be happy to do it.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by simmer2

Absolutely not. I'm in complete support of amateur sports and think there should be more money put towards them. I just think money should go into the programs before they get to the podium, rather than after.

Here's a hypothetical situation for you, and remove the fact that students are inherently poor out of the equation (I was one, I know how it feels). Let's say I'll give you $150 if you get 90% on an exam, but you get little to no extra help. You are working a job and trying to study for the test....tough to get 90% isn't it?

On the flip side, I'll give you $150 and you get a study guide, a textbook, and even an afternoon off of work before the test.

Which one would be more useful? I think you misinterpreted my quote. I don't want the best athletes working at Home Depot, I want them to have the time to train to reach that podium.

Excellent. I like this idea as well. The podium $$$ is a nice bonus, but I would also like them to not have to worry about holding down a job and trying to train at the same time. The successful athletic programs spend money and let their athletes worry about only training IMO.

[Bobblehead]

I really have to wonder - these athletes have spent years to become great in their sport and qualify for the Olympics. Is this money really going to be the difference that pushes them onto the podium?

I applaud the effort, but I'm not sure this is going to make any difference.

I personally think more/up to date facilities to train at and flexible jobs that allow for a living to be made but also allow for training and competitions are the way to allow more athletes to stick with their sports and have a chance to excel.

I like the idea of rewarding performance - it will allow the better athletes to do more/better training. But this plan just seems like perfume on a pig.

[octothorp]

I think the a large part of the intent (regardless of whether the COC wants to acknowledge it or not) isn't necessarily to get athletes to compete harder or to get more young athletes to continue their career, but instead, to retain existing Olympians. A gold medal is a better motivator than cash, up until the point that you actually win a medal. After that point, you're going to have to think practically about whether it's worth it to continue on for another four years. When weighing your commitment to your sport against a job in the real world, a financial incentive becomes extremely valuable. Not enough to convince everyone to get the most out of their athletic career, but enough that it'll retain a few more medal-calibre veterans.