Do athletes get paid to appear at European Championships? Prize money for medals explained

The European Championships comes quickly after the Commonwealth Games.

It was one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

More than 5,000 athletes are competing in 280 medal events across 11 action packed days at Birmingham 2022.

A total of 72 nations and territories around the world are taking part in the Commonwealth Games this year.

Many of the same athletes are now competing in the European Championships in Munich, Germany.

But with so many gold, silver and bronze medals up for grabs, you might be wondering - do athletes get prize money if they reach the podium?

And are they paid to appear at the games?

Here is all you need to know:

Do athletes get paid for appearing at the Commonwealth Games?

Team England handed out five scholarships to athletes who were training for the Birmingham 2022 games, totalling £50,000 between them.

The £50,000 award was made possible by a private donation from former British diplomat Sir John Hanson.

Athletes in the UK can also recieve funding from National Governing Bodies in the form of benefit packages, including covering training and coaches, equipment, sport science support and more.

There is not an appearance fee for the games itself.

Is there prize money for winning medals at Commonwealth Games?

Athletes do not recieve any prize money for winning medals at the Commonwealth Games.

However winning medals can increase the profiles of athletes and increase chances of sponsorship deals and earning potential.

Although some countries may give out prize money to their own athletes who achieve success at the games.

SportsLite reports that India is rewarding Gold medal winners with ₹20 lakhs.

It was confirmed that unlike the Olympics, Australian athletes will not recieve prize money for winning gold, bronze or silver.

Do you get prize money at the Olympics?

The International Olympic Committee does not provide monetary rewards to Olympic medalists.

However individual National Olympic Committees may provide incentive payments.

Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden don’t pay any prize money for athletes winning medals.

According to USA Today, for the 2020 games the following countries paid for gold, silver and bronze medals:

• Australia $15,000 $11,000 $7,000
• Brazil $49,000 $29,000 $20,000
• Bulgaria $91,008 $72,806 $54,605
• Canada $16,000 $12,000 $8,000
• Denmark $15,962 $11,971 $7,981
• Estonia $117,500 $82,250 $52,875
• Finland $59,342 $35,605 $23,737
• Germany $22,000 $17,000 $11,000
• Hong Kong $642,500 $321,250 $160,625
• Indonesia $346,000 $138,500 $69,250
• Italy $213,000 $107,000 $71,000
• Japan $45,000 $18,000 $9,000
• Kosovo $118,683 $71,210 $47,473
• Liechtenstein $27,602 $22,082 $16,561
• Lithuania $144,793 $72,397 $54,238
• Malaysia $236,000 $71,000 $24,000
• Morocco $225,067 $140,667 $84,400
• Philippines $200,000 $100,000 $40,000
• Serbia $71,210 $59,342 $47,473
• Singapore $737,000 $369,000 $184,000
• Slovakia $59,342 $47,473 $35,605
• Slovenia $23,737 $20,770 $17,802
• South Korea $54,767 $30,426 $21,733
• Spain $111,562 $56,968 $35,605
• Switzerland $44,171 $33,129 $22,086
• Taiwan $720,000 $251,000 $178,000
• United States $37,500 $22,500 $15,000

For the U.S athletes, USA Swimming and USA Wrestling award additional bonuses.

How long is left in the Commonwealth Games?

The Birmingham 2022 games will come to an end on Monday (8 August) after 11 days of high drama.

It’s the third time the games, which are held every four years and are often referred to as the “Friendly Games”, have been hosted in England.

Fascinating Commonwealth Games facts

The Games are also known as “The Friendly Games” as, up until 1998, all of the events were single competition rather than completed in teams.

The 1998 Games then saw the inclusion of team games, including netball, cricket, hockey and rugby 7s.

A total of 72 countries are eligible to take part in the Games.

Only six of the eligible countries, however, have competed in every one of the Games.

They are:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Canada

For the first time in a global, multi-sport event, there are more women’s events than men’s events.

The 2022 Games is expected to have the most events for women and disabled athletes in the history of the event.

Around 13,000 volunteers will ensure the smooth running of the games and around 3,000 police officers will secure the games, including 1,000 from West Midlands Police and 2,000 from other UK forces.