Sports aid to double
Rossmann offers bonus for 2028 Olympics
A dispute has erupted around the Olympic Games in Paris over the bonuses for German medal winners. Many people believe that 20,000 euros for a gold medal is far too little. The drugstore chain Rossmann is now taking action itself.
Medals at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles are more financially worthwhile for German athletes than before. In addition to the bonuses from the German Sports Aid, the drugstore chain Rossmann wants to distribute money to German athletes for gold, silver and bronze. For first place at the Olympic Games in four years, there will be 20,000 euros, for second place 15,000 euros and for third place 10,000 euros.
The amounts are based on the payouts from the German Sports Aid Foundation – with one crucial difference: “If you win two medals, you get the bonus twice! Teams receive a flat rate of 100,000 euros per medal,” the company said.
“Top-class sport must be worthwhile and that is not just the responsibility of the federal government, but also of us as a society! I hope that we can not only create an incentive for athletes, but also motivate other supporters,” said Raoul Roßmann, the spokesman for the management of the Lower Saxony-based company.
Harsh criticism of low premiums
Around the summer games in Paris, German athletes had criticized the existing bonuses in Germany as being too low. Swimming world champion Angelina Köhler, who came fourth in the 100 meter butterfly in France, said on a TV show: “I don't think it's right that people on the 'Summer House of the Stars' win 50,000 euros and athletes who win a gold medal at the Olympic Games only get 20,000 euros.”
Two-time Olympic track cycling champion Kristina Vogel also demanded a higher bonus: “I demand a million euros for Olympic champions, tax-free. That would have a lot of appeal, you would be financially secure for longer. And it would have the appeal that you could become a millionaire with an Olympic victory,” the 33-year-old told the “Bild” newspaper. Vogel also believes that the idea of ​​performance is often lacking in German sport. “At the Federal Youth Games, scoring is abolished. So why should I perform? You can sing in music, but the distance in the shot put is not measured. Unbelievable!” said the eleven-time world champion.
Germany finished tenth in the medal table in Paris with 12 gold, 13 silver and 8 bronze medals – the worst placing since reunification. The German Sports Aid paid out a total of 1.6 million euros to the Olympic athletes who finished in places one to eight in Paris. The bonuses, which were earned privately by the Sports Aid and without public funding, will be paid out over the next twelve months. The money must be taxed.
