Not only a medal, but also a solid cash bonus. Athletes from our country who achieved good results in Paris will be able to boast about that. From approximately 8 thousand to almost 170 thousand euros, depending on the place won. Usually, the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee also awarded the heroes of the Olympics with cars.
Getting on the podium is perhaps the most joyful moment of the Olympic Games for both athletes and fans.
But such an honor does not remain in the Olympics without a monetary incentive. The Olympic Committee does not award cash prizes for the medal won, but the home countries come to the rescue.
"Compared to the whole country, we are among the leaders. We are definitely among the 10 most solid awarding countries", said Mindaugas Špokas, director of the National Sports Agency.
The gold medal for Lithuania has not yet been won. And for that would be a solid one-time bonus of almost 170 thousand euros.
Mykolas Alekna, who won silver, will receive almost 84 thousand euros from the state.
Rower Viktorija Senkutė, who won bronze medals, and the trio basketball team will receive almost 63 thousand each.
The coaches of the Olympians will not be offended either.
"Bonus, of course, motivates and helps. Our athletes are not spoiled by a big market, big countries, where other horizons of advertising, popularity and earning opportunities immediately open up", said Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, President of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee.
The state encourages Olympians more and more generously, the bonuses are tied to the standard of living, and it is growing in Lithuania. For example, three years ago the bonus for gold at the Tokyo Olympics was 40 thousand euros more modest than this year.
"We had a safe reserve. We were really prepared for a very good result, because last year the results of the athletes showed that 8 athletes claimed Olympic medals", said M. Špokas.
Wearing a medal of any color also includes a state pension - 1500 euros, which the athlete will receive at the end of his career.
"I couldn't name other countries that have such things. There are very few of them. We look impressive here as well", assured the director of the National Sports Agency.
Since 2000, the medal winners of the Olympics have been awarded not only with solid bonuses, but also with cars. However, the Lithuanian Olympic Committee will not be giving away luxury BMWs or Lexuses this year.
"We are completely out of options. Don't want to talk about problems, but Seimas did not adopt amendments to the law that would allow us to receive funding from the state", D. Gudzinevičiūtė regretted.
Even without medals, the Olympians will not be empty. The state allocates 33 thousand for the fourth place, the most modest amount - 8 thousand for the 8th place.
Latvija and Estonia still does not have a single medal, while Lithuania already has four - two silver and two bronze.
"Probably the only thing that the committees brag about or envy each other is the number of athletes and, of course, the medals," said the president of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee.
However, the athletes have a lot of preparation and hard work, and the value of the medals themselves is not so impressive.
The Paris Gold Trophy is worth just 900 euros.
"The gold medal itself is made of silver and only covered with gold," explained Eglė Džiugytė, head of the Financial Markets Department of Šiauliai Bank.
A silver medal is almost twice as cheap as a gold medal. And the bronze is worth less than a day's lunch, just 4 euros.
However, the Paris medals are unique in that each has a small piece of metal from the Eiffel Tower in the center.
