The Weirdest Perks Olympic Medalists Have Gotten — From Condos To Lifetime Pizza Supplies
Do athletes even eat pizza?
Getty Images As the Tokyo Olympics draw to a close today, the medalists will be returning to their countries with more than just glory and pride.
Some Olympians will be cashing in one some interesting perks after securing their place on the podium.
The Olympics may be an amateur competition, but that doesn’t mean these sports stars won’t be compensated in other ways.
Do Olympic medalists get paid?
The Olympics doesn’t pay athletes and medalists directly but these stars often get monetary compensation from their home countries if they secure a medal.
In the US, athletes get $37,500 for every gold medal won, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze — these are divided up between athletes in team events.
Singapore offers the largest medal bonus to their athletes — roughly $750,000 USD for gold. Silver medal winners get about $369,000 and $184,000 for bronze.
But aside from money athletes also receive some fun additional benefits for bringing Olympic medals home.
Here are some of the strangest — and most fun — perks Olympic medalists receive.
Hong Kong offered free subway rides to Edgar Cheung.
When Hong Kong’s Edgar Cheung won a gold medal for individual foil fencing this year, his country promised him he’d never have to pay for another subway ride again.
Cheung will have free transportation on the subway for life.
The Philippines' Hidilyn Diaz received unlimited flights and a condo.
Hidilyn Diaz, who won gold in women's weightlifting in the 55-kilogram category and will now fly for free on AirAsia Philippines and Philippine Airlines.
Diaz will also receive a free condominium back home to enjoy after all those free trips.
An Indian Olympian received a lifetime supply of pizza.
When 26-year-old Mirabai Chanu won India’s first Olympic gold of the 2020 games, Dominoes India offered her free pizza for life.
Luckily for the pizza chain, I don’t imagine takeout features heavily in the diet of an Olympic weightlifter.
Indian medalists also get free movie tickets.
Pizza and movies? I’d take it! Chanu was also offered free cinema tickets for life and, to spread the love, other Indian Olympians who didn’t bring home medals, received free movie tickets for a year.
South Korean gold medalists receive military exemptions.
For South Korea, a gold medal is enough service to your country for one lifetime.
Enrollment for military service is mandatory for men from 18 to 28 and all men must complete at least 18 months of active service.
However, when South Korean men win Olympic gold medals they typically forgo military duty.
Russia gave free luxury cars to their medalists.
In 2016, when some of the Russian medalists returned from Rio, they were welcomed with free luxury cars and apartments.
BMWs in case you were wondering. Oh, and they threw in a racehorse for wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev.
Germany offered free beer to Olympians in 2016.
Also in 2016, German medalists came home from Rio to some pretty impressive celebrations accompanied by free beer for life. It’s like a never-ending Oktoberfest. They’re certainly making sure their famous drinking culture is world renowned!
Alice Kelly is a senior news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.