Russia gives all its gold medalists $120,000, a new Mercedes

[The Straight Story]

If you're in Russia, and you're a medalist at the Sochi Games, life is pretty good for you right now, with cash and a new car waiting for you.

Russia gave all of its gold medalists in the Sochi Games $120,000, plus a brand-new Mercedes GL SUV. This led to a bit of logistical leapfrogging with athletes like Julia Lipnitskaya, who is only 15 and not yet of legal driving age in Russia. (She got a personal driver to go along with the car.) Silver medalists got $76,000 and a Mercedes ML, and bronze medalists got $52,000 and a Mercedes GLK.

A total of 45 cars were distributed to gold medalists. Russia won a Sochi-leading total of 33 medals, including 13 golds. The cars were provided by the Russian Olympians Foundation, a consortium established by Russian businessmen in 2005. Russian athletes who won medals in the 2012 London Games received new Audis with personal drivers.

For comparison's sake, the United States Olympic Committee pays its winners $25,000 for a gold, $15,000 for a silver and $10,000 for a bronze medal. Kazakhstan leads the medal payment rate at $250,000 for a gold, but has not had a gold medalist at the Winter Olympics in 20 years.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/russia-gives-all-its-gold-medalists--120-000--a-new-mercedes-174223357.html

[Fumesucker]

1. You gotta love capitalism..

[NM_Birder]

5. more than communism...yeah.

I never realized that the point of being an Olympian was to get the largest monetary reward from the government, to you Putin is the man right ?

you should look into product endorsement, I hear there may be some scraps of money left on the sidewalks for the American athletes to paw through.

[Fumesucker]

6. ...

[NM_Birder]

7. if I though you were joking.

[Nye Bevan]

2. I guess the Soviet era is over (nt)

[liberal N proud]

3. And that is why the Russia had more Gold Medals than anyone else

Incentive!

[hack89]

4. What, no Ladas? nt

[amandabeech]

8. Nobody requested that pea green paint.

Mercedes do not come in that color!

[AZ Progressive]

9. Well hey, not being well compensated is a part of being an American

Especially if your one of the "little people."

Oh, and so is inequality (where the only significant compensation, the endorsement deals, the more attractive winners will get the endorsement deals and the rest would be left in the dust, especially the not so attractive looking women.)

[mockmonkey]

10. The ones that didn't win

will get new uniforms and are to wait for further orders at the Russian border with the Ukraine.

[sabrina 1]

11. They've discovered Capitalism. n/t

[Brother Buzz]

12. US gold medalists are awarded million dollar commercial contracts and....

and buy their own bling vehicle.