This year's summer Olympics will recognize athletes accomplishments in *** new way. *** way that's almost hard to believe didn't exist prior to now. Gold medal, track and field winners will receive equal prize money regardless of their home country. The announcement serves as *** reminder of the physical and financial burden athletes carry just to attend, not to mention win gold at the Olympics from sponsorships on Wheaties boxes to gold medals being an Olympic athlete is big business, but the majority of athletes don't achieve well from their talents. The financial cost associated with being an Olympic athlete can be high and the payoff extremely varied. In April 2024 world athletics, the umbrella organization for global track and field events made *** pivotal announcement, track and field, gold medalists regardless of their country will receive equal pay about $50,000 for individual athletes. Relay teams will split the winnings since Olympians and niche events only get the spotlight briefly during the week's long games. It can cast *** heavy financial burden in the off season. Not to mention winnings vary wildly depending on the country at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo US gold medalists received 37,500 silver, received 22,500 bronze. 15,000 plus health care. By comparison, Singapore offered its gold medalists *** staggering 1 million Singapore dollars, which is equivalent to $734,890. Indonesia reportedly gave its winning athletes six figure payouts too. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, gold medalist from Indonesia won $346,000 plus *** lifetime annual stipend. These monetary changes reflect an uphill battle for athletes to financially support themselves while competing for their country. The issue of Olympic athlete pay has evolved over the recent decades. The ethos of the Olympics previously centered around amateurism rather than playing for money, giving an advantage to upper class athletes who typically had the time and resources to train and participate in the games. It wouldn't be until the 19 eighties when the US was losing badly in basketball that pro US athletes could finally participate, resulting in the iconic dream team of 1992 and redeemed team of 2008. Removing the amateurism requirement was *** landmark decision that literally altered history. In 1982 the IOC reinstated the late Jim Thorpe as *** co winner for the 1912 Olympic Decathlon and Pentathlon after disqualifying him for playing professional sports prior to the games, the IOC just in 2022 further declared him the sole champion of those events The reins station also meant that Thorpe became the first indigenous Olympic gold medalist for the United States. Although the World athletics prize money only extends to gold medal winners. The world athletics is hopeful that it will soon be expanded to silver and bronze too.