Paralympic medalists receive hundreds of thousands of dollars less than Olympic medalists

A CNN Sport analysis has found that many Paralympic champions are being paid less in rewards or bonuses than their Olympic counterparts to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As 2024 draws to a close, many of us will be hoping for a healthy bonus to help ring in the New Year. Elite athletes are no different. Many gold medalists from this year’s Olympics in Paris will be enjoying vast bonuses and gifts in reward for their athletic achievements. However, a CNN Sport analysis has found that many of their Paralympic colleagues are being paid less to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In many countries, National Olympic and Paralympic committees (NOCs and NPCs, respectively) and governing bodies are separate entities and govern their respective sports differently than their counterparts. For example, the United States has one body – the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) – while Australia has two – the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia. Similarly, World Athletics and World Para Athletics are distinct bodies governing able-bodied track and field and para track and field respectively. Many NOCs and NPCs are funded through government support and private sources through sponsorship and rights, such as Spain’s. Some, like Great Britain or China, receive a majority of government funding along with other sources (e.g. a national lottery). Others, such as the USOPC, are nonprofit corporations, which have no government funding at all and are reliant on both private investment and the generosity of the population of the country (e.g. the USOPC’s direct fan donation scheme). CNN reached out to Olympic and Paralympic authorities from every nation competing at this year’s Games in Paris – some like Great Britain prohibit or do not allow awards to be given to athletes – and sourced data from reliable local reporting where available. At least 42 countries awarded gold medalists over $100,000 after the Paris Olympics, meanwhile, only 23 countries and Taiwan awarded their Paralympic champions bonuses of this size. “Looking across the world, it is very disappointing that nations place such a varying importance on the funding of their athletes and that the profile and opportunity for para-athletes is often overlooked,” Sarah Storey, Great Britain’s most successful ever Paralympic athlete, told CNN Sport.