The athletes of the Olympic Games are delighted to receive a bonus. © ANSA / FAZRY ISMAIL

Olympic grant: Athletes receive $10.000

The new IOC grant of $10.000 for each Olympic participant will also be offered to sports millionaires from football, tennis and other sports.

June 25, 2026

From: dpa

“They are entitled to receive this money. They decide how to use it. We want them to be recognized as well,” said Pau Gasol, chairman of the Athletes’ Commission of the International Olympic Committee, on the sidelines of the IOC special summit in Lausanne.

“They should use it wisely,” Gasol cautioned. The former Spanish basketball star, himself once a high earner in the NBA, pointed out that every athlete could also donate or decline the bonus. This option is also available to highly paid soccer professionals, tennis millionaires, and ski stars. Unclaimed grants remain in the IOC fund and are intended to benefit future generations of athletes.

The IOC is providing $140 million.

After decades of rejecting prize money at the Olympics, the IOC decided on Wednesday to pay all participants the equivalent of €8.800. "This is a fantastic moment, a historic moment for all Olympians," Gasol emphasized. The decision followed months of negotiations with the IOC finance department.

Mikaela Shiffrin & Co. receive $10.000. © ANSA / DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Athletes must apply for the grant via the Athlete365 platform. All participants in the Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Games are already eligible for the funding. According to IOC President Kirsty Coventry, it will take approximately six months to process all applications. The IOC allocates $140 million (around €123 million) every four years.

The grant will be paid out via the National Olympic Committees. The NOCs must prove that the athletes have received the full amount.