“It's scandalous, they're ridiculous!”: David Douillet protests against the bonuses paid to French medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics

David Douillet a pris la défense des athlètes. MAXPPP – Mickael Chavet

In a late night show on RMC, David Douillet, double Olympic judo champion in 1996 and 2000, expressed his anger about the taxation of the bonuses that French athletes will receive after the Games. 

With 48 medals since the start of the Olympic Games, and a few more guaranteed to fall by the end of the week, the French Olympic team is breaking records.

Each medal has its reward, the Ministry of Sports will pay a bonus to each French person who has set foot on a podium. Bonuses revalued compared to Tokyo. Thus, for gold, 80,000 euros are paid (compared to 65,000 in 2021), silver brings in 40,000 euros to the athletes (25,000 in Tokyo) and finally, bronze represents a contribution of 20,000 euros. (15,000 in 2021).

Some athletes, multi-medalists will hit the jackpot. Léon Marchand, holder of five medals including four gold during these Olympics, should receive 340,000 euros. However, the Toulousain will not see such a sum… because the bonuses given by the State are subject to tax. The 22-year-old swimmer will owe 51,000 euros to taxes, or 15% of the amount earned.

During a program on RMC, which looked back on Monday, August 5, David Douillet, double Olympic judo champion in Atlanta and Sydney, raised the subject of taxed bonuses.

“A scandal”

“They are taxed, it's a scandal”, thundered the former Secretary of State, railing against the end of the exemption of these bonuses. Tax-free since the Albertville Games in 1992 (except Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014), they became tax-free again in Tokyo in 2021.

Read also: Paris 2024 Olympics: 710,000 euros, lifetime allowance, apartment… these astonishing rewards offered by certain countries to their medalists

"It may seem like a lot of money to people who have low salaries, who earn the minimum wage. But we have to be aware of one thing… When an athlete earns 80,000 euros, you know how long it takes him to get his trinket ? Between 10 and 15 years, more like 15", added the ex-judoka.

A future bill ?

"If we spread 80,000 over 15 years eand on top of that we have to pay taxes on it ? It's scandalous. The bonuses are ridiculous compared to the investment. At some point, you can't make fun of it, he castigates. For some athletes, it's pocket money but for others, it's huge… so taxing it…"

Read also: Paris 2024 Olympics: gold, silver, bronze… discover the amount of the bonus received by the French medalists

In response to this start of controversy, Olivier Marleix, a member of parliament for Les Républicains, proposed on Tuesday to legislate to exempt from taxes the bonuses received for each medal by French Olympic champions.

“A consensual PPL (bill, editor's note) to start the legislature and continue a moment of national unity in the hemicycle!”, launched the former leader of the LR group in the National Assembly on the X network.