For the Paris Paralympic Games, French medallists will receive the same amount as their counterparts at the Olympic Games.
As the Paralympic Games begin, medal-winning athletes from the French delegation will receive bonuses based on the medals won. These bonuses are decided by each country present at the Games, and not by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). As such, the amounts vary widely from one country to another, with some athletes receiving no prize money from their country while others are more advantaged. There is also no bonus directly distributed by the International Federations, unlike the Olympic athletics medalists who received a sum from World Athletics in the event of a title.
The issue of the gap between the bonuses of Olympic and Paralympic athletes is also regularly debated. In this area, France was a pioneer since since the Beijing Games in 2008, Paralympic athletes have received the same amount as their Olympian counterparts. While other countries have followed France’s lead on this issue, the process of standardization between athletes in the two competitions is long. Spain and Belgium thus harmonized bonuses only for the Paris Games, whereas previously para athletes received a smaller amount.
The French medallists will receive €80,000 for gold, €40,000 for silver and €20,000 for bronze. This figure is an increase compared to the last edition in Tokyo, where the medallists received €65,000, €25,000 and €15,000 respectively.
Other countries have taken a different approach, such as Great Britain. While our British neighbours have not provided any bonuses for their Olympic and Paralympic medallists, they have, after the Tokyo Games, introduced an annual allowance of around €34,000 for all medallists until the next Olympics to enable them to prepare.