A diamond, cows, a Hyundai car, metro tickets… these unusual rewards for medal-winning athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Diamants, vaches, et autres récompenses insolites pour athlètes médaillés. MAXPPP – olivier corsan

Un diamant, une exemption de service militaire, un appartement, des vaches… Les athlètes participant aux Jeux olympiques peuvent, selon leur délégation, espérer recevoir davantage qu’une médaille d’or, de bronze ou d’argent.

Here are some unusual rewards promised to Olympians in Paris, and previously in Rio and Tokyo, to encourage them to succeed.

Hong Kong

Gold medalists in fencing at the Paris Games, Hong Kongers Cheung Ka Long and Vivian Kong Man Wai received lifetime metro tickets from the local government, like the other award-winning athletes. Gym chain Pure is also offering indefinite memberships to the Chinese metropolis' 35 Olympians so they can, in the future, “represent Hong Kong at their best”.

South Korea

Any Olympic medal guarantees South Korean athletes an exemption from military service, which is mandatory for all able-bodied men, who are called up for at least 18 months. The six South Korean archers who won four of the five gold medals up for grabs in Tokyo 2021 also received cars from their sponsor, automaker Hyundai.

Malaysia

Free food orders await the athlete who would win Malaysia's first-ever gold medal at the Paris Olympics, delivery and transportation company Grab has promised. The lucky winner will also be able to count on a Chery SUV and a luxury apartment from the developer Top Residency, according to the government.

Colombia

Colombian airline Avianca will award loyalty points ("miles") to decorated athletes, in agreement with the local Olympic Committee: 100,000 for gold, 50,000 for silver and 30,000 for bronze.

Mexico

The Mexican medalists will receive a sum of money financed, in an original way, thanks to funds confiscated by the United States Department of Justice from a Mexican politician accused of money laundering, announced President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Poland

A diamond, a bonus of 250,000 zlotys (58,000 euros), a two-room apartment, a painting and a holiday voucher: this is the jackpot promised to every Polish Olympic champion in an individual sport. The other medallists will also receive rewards, including bonuses. “I wanted our athletes […] to be treated in a special, unique way," Radoslaw Piesiewicz, the president of the Polish Olympic Committee, said recently.

Iraq

The Iraqi athletes who qualified for the 2024 Olympics received a plot of land and a payment of around €6,600, according to the Iraqi Olympic Committee. They will also receive a monthly stipend of 400,000 dinars (€275) from the government. Weightlifter Ali Ammar Yasser received a car and a plot of land after qualifying. The Committee promised him $1 million (€916,000) if he won bronze.

Jordan

At the Rio Games in 2016, when Jordanian Ahmad Abu Ghaush reached the top step of the podium in taekwondo (-68 kg), the National Olympic Committee awarded him 100,000 dinars (129,000 euros). The champion received numerous gifts from local companies, including a vehicle and a luxury watch, and was decorated by King Abdullah II.

Indonesia

After becoming Olympic doubles badminton champions in Tokyo, Indonesian women Apriyani Rahayu and Greysia Polii were promised meatball restaurants by a local influencer and housing, according to media reports. Apriyani was also to receive five cows, a plot of land and three kilograms of gold, according to the press. Tourism Secretary Sandiaga Uno also said athletes would be able to enjoy the country's top destinations for free.

Philippines

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and was promoted to master sergeant in the Army. The government and the private sector also gifted her with two properties. Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino said he rewarded prize-winning Olympians with houses or land by dipping into his own savings.

India

Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra of India has been promised unlimited free flights for a year by IndiGo and an SUV by a businessman, he said.

Singapore

Singapore's Joseph Schooling has made his mark Rio Games by beating star swimmer Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly, prompting Grab to offer free rides to the champion and his family for a year, a reward he shared with a blind masseur and a para-swimmer. Singapore Airlines also transferred him one million miles.