The amount needed to become a high-performance sportsman in Brazil depends a lot on the modality, according to the Federal Council of Physical Education (Confef). Furthermore, this cost can be high due to the tournaments and conditions necessary to reach the Olympics. And, how much is an Olympic medal worth? It can be calculated.
In the country, the responsibility for organizing the teams and athletes is the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB). In 2021, the entity invested R$ 388,482,667.05, around 20% more than last year. Of this amount, 87% was transferred to sports actions, a record for the core activity.
Also for 2021, the COB estimates a collection of R$ 301,155,986.16 with the Caixa Lotteries. The rest of the budget will come from the organization’s own resources, as a result of the decrease in expenses in recent years. Remembering that the base categories are also encouraged. In the first half, COB injected R$ 12 million into the base of various sports.
“Most of the Federations and Clubs offer a complete structure for athletes, especially in those groups that need to collect new athletes for the sport, which is great. For some years now, the COB has also been encouraging athletes, but investments are few and for a very short period”, stressed Kátia Lúcia Moreira Lemos, a physical educator and advisor to the Regional Physical Education Council of Minas Gerais (CRF6/MG).
She also stated that public-private partnerships (PPPs) such as those in the US and Europe would help a lot to improve the conditions of national athletes. “Our athletes have already improved a lot and I believe that if we had more private partnerships, it would help to leverage many more athletes who need this financial support”, he says.
How much is a medal obtained at the Olympics worth?
Winning a medal at the Olympics is the pinnacle for most athletes. To further encourage Brazilian representatives, Team Brasil, linked to COB, stipulated that medalists will receive an additional award:
- Gold in individual modalities – R$250 thousand;
- Silver in individual modalities – R$150,000;
- Bronze in individual modalities – R$100 thousand;
- Gold in teams of up to six athletes – R$ 500 thousand for division among champions;
- Silver in teams of up to six athletes – R$300 thousand for division among champions;
- Bronze in teams of up to six athletes – R$ 200 thousand for division between champions;
- Gold for athletes in team sports – R$750 thousand for division between champions;
- Silver for athletes in team sports – R$ 450,000 for division between champions;
- Bronze for athletes in team sports – R$ 300 thousand for division between champions.
According to the Olympic Committee, Brazilians who get medals in more than one competition accumulate awards, earning money for each achievement. The bonus will also be used for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
At the moment, Brazil is in 19th position in the Tokyo Olympics medals table with one gold, three silvers and three bronzes.