USA Doesn’t Come Close to What Other Countries Pay For Winter Olympic Gold

In fact, the U.S. ranks 16th overall for what a gold is worth to an athlete.

Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Alysa Liu of the United States celebrates with the gold medal in the women's free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. | James Lang-Imagn Images

The United States took home a record 12 gold medals in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and a total of 33 medals (12 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze), placing second behind Norway (41 with 18 of them golds).

While U.S. gold medal athletes like Alysa Liu from figure skating can become a household name and parlay their success into big endorsement deals, the gold medal itself from the Milano Cortina Games wasn’t worth nearly as much as other countries pay.

Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Alysa Liu of the United States celebrates with the gold medal and the flag after the medal ceremony for the women's free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. | James Lang-Imagn Images

Some athletes like Chloe Kim (who previously won two golds but a silver this time) and Lindsey Vonn, already are millionaires as a result of their Olympic fame.

What the U.S. pays for gold

For 2026, the U.S. paid athletes $37,500 for a gold medal through the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Someone like Liu with two then made $75k off hers.

And no, a team like both the men’s and women’s hockey teams which are over 20 players are just paid the $37,500 and then that is split per athlete.

Team USA takes a selfie with their gold medals after defeating Canada in the women's ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Comparing it to other countries

How does that compare to other countries? Well, just look at the list where the U.S. ranks 16th.

What countries pay for gold medals

Feb 15, 2026; Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Federica Brignone of Italy celebrates on the podium after winning the women's alpine skiing giant slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. | Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

1. Singapore — $788,000
2. Hong Kong — $768,000
3. Taiwan — $600,000+
4. Poland — $355,000
5. Indonesia — $346,000
6. Kazakhstan — $250,000
7. Malaysia — $240,000
8. Italy — $213,000
9. Philippines — $200,000+
10. Hungary — $167,000
11. Kosovo — $130,000
12. Spain — $111,000
13. Turkey — $90,000
14. France — $85,000
15. South Korea — $45,000
16. United States — $37,500
17. Germany — $35,000
18. China — $30,000–$50,000
19. Canada — $15,000
20. Australia — $13,000

At least the United States isn’t among this list:

Nations that pay $0:

United Kingdom
Norway
Sweden

In case you were wondering, U.S. atheltes make $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze.

The final Milano Cortina bill for the USA

If you are wondering how much USA atheltes made for all medals compared to other countries, take a look below. The U.S. total came to $855k forked out.