Do Golfers Get Paid For Playing In The Olympics?

The Olympic Games in Paris is already well underway, with golf watching on as the likes of swimming, hockey, and tennis begin the fortnight of festivities in and around the French capital.

Set to make just its fifth appearance ever at an Olympics, golf will take place at Le Golf National between August 1-4 (men) and August 7-10 (women) and feature many of the world's best players in two separate events of 60 competitors.

Despite very few people having progressed through to adulthood watching Olympic golf on TV - it has only been a part of the 1900, 1904, 2016, and 2020 Games - all competitors will have the same burning desire to claim one of the great accolades in any cultural field - an Olympic medal.

A gold is, of course, the ultimate prize, but silver or bronze can prove to be just as meaningful to those skilful and brave enough to claim one.

But what about a financial reward? Do golfers get paid for teeing it up at Paris 2024? Well, as usual, the answer is "it depends," although it should be pointed out that no athletes from any sport receives any kind of earnings from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a start.

From there, it depends on which country the person competes for and which sport they are in. Money is usually only collected if a medal is obtained or - in some cases - a high finish is managed, but many nations will fund their athletes' Olympic journey. However, golfers from certain countries will still be self-funded.

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of each individual country has decided whether or not to pay their athletes who medal. According to Forbes, at least 33 nations will award cash prizes for its medallists.

The USA will financially reward all successful medallists, with $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze. It has seven Olympic golfers in Paris - including both World No.1s - with the other five all inside the top-nine, so it could be a costly couple of weeks for Team USA.

In Australia, gold-medal-winning athletes are set to land $20,000 while silver secures $15,000 and bronze earns $10,000. Team GB athletes Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Charley Hull, and Georgia Hall will not receive any money should they place on the podium, however.

Elsewhere, there are said to be 15 countries which will hand out more than $100,000 to their athletes who stand on the top step of the podium. These include Hong Kong ($768,000), Israel ($275,000), and Serbia ($218,000). Extraordinarily, Hong Kong - which competes independently of China at the Olympics - offers up $380,000 for silver.

Other countries - such as Malaysia and Bulgaria - pay out monthly allowances of at least $1,000 for life while others (Chile, Lithuania, Kosovo) have a similar set-up that only lasts until the next Olympics begins. If Ryan Fox wins the Olympic golf - for example - as a New Zealander, he will collect $40,000 each year until LA 2028.

Even if a monetary prize is not landed by golfers off the back of a podium finish, new sponsorships and endorsements via external parties can sometimes be agreed to enhance a player's earning power.

But in the end, each of the 60 players in both golf events will be out to secure the one item that money cannot buy.