While it’s safe to assume that Olympic athletes make a lot of money just like other celebrities and public figures, the reality is that many of them work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Athletes represented A $2 billion global wonder Typically taking home tens of thousands of dollars at most, and many people make no money directly from the tournament.
In addition, Olympic training costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year, and even exceed $100,000 in some sports. Annual training costs for sports like skiing and skating can run into the five or even six figures when you factor in airfare to compete, equipment, ice time, coaching, physical therapy and insurance. And the International Olympic Committee does not pay athletes competition fees: athletes can only go home with their own country’s money, which is a burden for athletes. big difference Depends on their home country and the medals they have won.
For example, a gold medalist in Singapore is expected to take home nearly $750,000, but a gold medalist in the United States can only take home $38,000, according to the National Olympic Committee and other local reports analyst CNBC 2024. These numbers don’t take into account taxes and other fees, which further reduce an athlete’s earning potential.
This is typically one of the only ways Olympians receive bonuses for their efforts, although this year every U.S. Olympian will receive $200,000Whether they win medals or not, it’s all thanks to a $100 million donation to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) from billionaire Stone Ridge Holdings Group founder and CEO Ross Stevens. But they won’t receive the money immediately: They will receive their first $100,000 when they turn 45, or 20 years after their first Olympic qualifying event, whichever is later. The remaining $100,000 will serve as a guaranteed benefit to their family after their death.
“I don’t believe financial insecurity should prevent our nation’s elite athletes from breaking into new realms of excellence,” Stevens said.
Still, the gap between the commercial clout of the Olympic brand and the financial realities of athletes is what drives many U.S. winter athletes to take on second jobs. Here are some examples of how Winter Olympians make ends meet.
barista
Alpine skier Keely Cashman, representing the United States in 2022 winter skiing Olympic Games and Qualify for this year’s competitionspending part of the year behind the counter as a barista Her family owns a coffee shop, The Serene Bean, in Strawberry, California, a town with a population of just Only 86 people.
Cashman grew up in a blue-collar area and didn’t have as many financial resources as other athletes. But by age 12, she was skiing in Tahoe, where she still trains in the offseason.
“Ski racing is obviously a very expensive sport. I come from a very blue-collar area,” Cashman Tell local news station Korean SBW. “My brother and I were able to ski race because my dad was a coach, which covered some of the costs.”
While Cashman doesn’t disclose how much she earns as a barista, the money could help fill a financial hole left by changes in federal support and a lack of major endorsement funding for women’s speed events, even for Olympians. According to Indeed, baristas in California earn Average $18.90 per hour.
broker
Curler Chris Plys is also involved in his family business when he’s not competing. Plys, 38, left college while his father was battling brain cancer and took over his food brokerage, Plys Superior Consulting, and still owns the Duluth, Minn.-based company.
“This was the first big thing I experienced after the Olympics, I was forced to grow up quickly,” he Tell USA Today.
Now he balances running the company with training and representing Team USA in men’s and mixed doubles curling. As early as 2010, Plys also participated in the reality show hollywood bank arrive Help pay for his parents’ expenses Watch him compete as an alternate at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The trip cost $6,500 and Pulis also competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He was still serving as a co-captain on John Shuster’s team and competed in the 2026 Olympic U.S. Curling Team Trials in Milano-Cortina in late 2025, but it’s unclear if he will compete this year.
dentisit
When Tara Peterson isn’t curling, she’s a practicing dentist Isaacson Gentle Dentistry in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Peterson’s parents, also a dentist and dental hygienist, joined a curling league and signed Tara and her sister, Tabitha, up for the Junior Curling League in St. Paul, which launched Peterson’s career.
Tara made her Olympic debut as a leader at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics alongside her sister Tabitha, where they finished sixth. Tabita is also in the healthcare field, working as a pharmacist. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a dentist in 2024 will be approximately $180,000 dataa pharmacist earns approximately $140,000. Tara and Tabitha both qualified for the 2026 Olympics.
artist
Three-time Olympian and freestyle skiing mogul Bradley Wilson creates his own skiing discipline Businesses that sell original artworkcalled Bradley Wilson Studios.
“Like most sports, skiing has off-seasons and I have to stay productive. So during the summer in Park City I started experimenting with painting and just like my ski career, the art began to progress and take off,” Wilson wrote on his website. “I’ve been selling paintings for three years and it’s helped me a lot with my skiing career.”
He also listed multiple sponsors, including Deer Valley Resort and snow helmet company Giro. Bradley Sell Prints cost about $50 each, and paintings can cost up to $600. He competed in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Olympics.
This story was originally published on wealth network