10 Unique Rewards for Olympic Medalists at Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have some rather unusual rewards for athletes, depending on their home country. Athletes could return home with some truly unique prizes in addition to their Olympic medals. Mexico is one country that has attracted attention for its unconventional methods of rewarding Olympic athletes.

Here's a rundown of some of the most intriguing prizes offered to Olympic athletes in Paris 2024, as well as in previous games such as Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016:

Colombia: Airline Miles
In partnership with the Colombian Olympic Committee, Avianca Airline will award medalists with airline miles: 100,000 for gold, 50,000 for silver, and 30,000 for bronze.

Hong Kong: Lifetime Metro Passes
Hong Kong fencers Cheung Ka Long and Vivian Kong Man Wai, gold medalists in Paris, will receive lifetime metro passes from the local government.

South Korea: Military Service Exemption
In South Korea, any Olympic medal guarantees an exemption from military service, which typically lasts at least 18 months. The six archers who won four of the five gold medals at Tokyo 2020 will also receive cars from Hyundai.

Malaysia: An Apartment
The delivery company Grab has pledged free deliveries to the athlete who wins Malaysia's first Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. The winner will also receive a Chery SUV and a luxury apartment from Top Residency.

Poland: A Diamond
Polish Olympic champions in individual events will receive a diamond, a €60,000 bonus, a two-room apartment, a painting, and a holiday bonus.

Iraq: A Plot of Land, a Car, and Cash
Iraqi athletes who qualify for the Paris games will receive a plot of land, $7,200, and a monthly salary of 400,000 dinars from the government. Weightlifter Ali Ammar Yasser, who has already qualified, received a car and a plot of land, and has been promised $1 million if he wins a bronze medal.

Indonesia: 3 Kilograms of Gold and 5 Cows
Athlete Apriyani Rahayu, who won the gold in Women’s Doubles Badminton at Tokyo 2020, was promised five cows, a plot of land, a house, and up to three kilograms of gold. She was also offered free access to Indonesia's top tourist destinations.

Philippines: A Military Promotion
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who won the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, was promoted to sergeant in the military. She also received two properties from the government and private sector.

India: Free Flights
Neeraj Chopra, Olympic javelin champion at Tokyo 2020, was rewarded with free and unlimited flights with IndiGO airline and an SUV.

Singapore: Free Travel
Joseph Schooling, gold medal winner in the 100 meter butterfly at Rio 2016, received free trips for a year from Grab and one million ‘miles’ from Singapore Airlines.

Mexico: Money from Confiscated Funds
Mexican medalists will receive a financial reward funded with money confiscated from a politician from the state of Coahuila who was involved in money laundering.