Multiplied rewards for gold medals: does more money make more champions?

The considerable gap between the rewards for gold medalists and other Iranian medal winners raises the question of whether this trend leads to more gold medals, or whether what matters is investing in building champions.

According to the reporter of Mehr, the announcement of the amount of reward for the youth Olympic medalists once again showed the difference in the valuation of the 3 colors of the medal in the Iranian sports reward system. According to the approval of the Executive Board of the National Olympic Committee, gold medalists in Dakar will receive 1 billion Tomans, silver 400 million Tomans and bronze 150 million Tomans. Of course, each of these numbers has changed with the entry of the Ministry of Sports and the allocation of separate rewards by the minister, but this entry has not changed the essence of the story, i.e. "the numbers that show a meaningful gap between the championship reward and the other two medals."

Of course, this difference is not limited to the reward of the Olympic Youth medalists. For the reward of the Asian Games medal winners, the difference between gold, silver and bronze medals was also determined; An issue that can indicate the priority of winning a gold medal in the incentive policies of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and the National Olympic Committee, even the National Paralympic Committee, which followed the example of the National Olympic Committee in determining the reward of its medal winners for the Para Asian Games.

The gap between the reward set for the Dakar Olympic gold medalists and the silver and bronze medals of these games is significant, as in other events

gold; A goal beyond the platform, a multiple reward

Determining a higher reward for gold medalists in every sports event is actually a decision in the direction of valuing the highest championship platform, but along with this decision, questions are raised about the logic of the reward system in Iranian sports such as "Does multiplying the gold reward increase the chance of obtaining this medal in the same proportion?" And most importantly, "Should sport's financial resources be used more than before to encourage champions after success, or is it more correct that investment should be prioritized to provide the conditions for success?"

Undoubtedly, the gold medal has a different place in championship sports. Standing on the first platform means passing all the competitors and reaching the highest possible result, and it is natural that this difference is also reflected in the reward system, especially since gold and its number are the first and most important factors affecting the status and position of the Iranian caravan. However, the difference in the value of the medals is not the same as the effectiveness of the incentive policy. Increasing the amount of the bonus is not a guarantee for increasing the probability of winning the championship, and its effectiveness depends on several factors, including preparation conditions, quality of coaching, training facilities, athlete's mental state, and the level of competition.

More rewards for gold means more value on the highest platform, but here's the question:

Does multiplying the gold reward increase the chances of getting this medal?

A look at Iran's Olympic rewards; Bigger figures, but how many more gold?

A review of the announced bonuses for the London, Rio and Paris Olympics shows that the nominal value of the medalist awards has increased over time. For the 2012 London Olympics, the Ministry of Sports allocated 200, 150, and 100 coins to the gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respectively. These amounts were increased to 300, 200 and 120 coins for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In the 2024 Olympics in Paris, the Ministry of Sports set bonuses of 10, 4 and 2 billion tomans for gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. In the same way, the National Olympic Committee considered 8, 4 and 2 billion tomans for the medalists. These amounts were separate from the possible bonuses of the federations; For example, the wrestling federation had determined 5 billion tomans in cash for the gold medal of the Paris Olympics along with a monthly payment of 100 million tomans for one year.

But the main question here is whether the increase in bonuses has led to an increase in the number of gold medals won by Iran in the Olympics?

Iran's record in the last three summer Olympic games does not give a simple answer to this question. Iran's convoy ended its work in the 2016 Rio Games with 3 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals were won. In the 2024 Paris Games, despite the significant increase in the announced bonuses, the number of golds was still 3 medals; However, the number of silver medals increased to 6 and bronze to 3, and the total number of medals in the caravan increased from 7 medals in Tokyo to 12 medals.

This comparison shows that the increase in nominal rewards in these periods was "not accompanied" by the increase in the number of Iranian gold medals, but such an observation alone does not prove that the financial reward is ineffective. In order to reach a more accurate result, factors such as the level of competitors, the composition of the caravan, the number of medal-winning disciplines and the quality of the athletes' preparation should also be examined.

The result of the comparison of Iran's sports performance in the last three Olympics: the increase in rewards has not been accompanied by an increase in the number of gold medals

silver and bronze rewards; A necessity that should not be ignored

In addition to the discussion of increasing gold rewards, another question is also raised that "if the main goal is to encourage athletes to win gold medals, should the importance of silver and bronze rewards be reduced?"

The fact is that the difference in the value of medals does not necessarily mean that other platforms are less important. Achieving a silver or bronze medal in international competitions is also the result of years of training and effort, and in many disciplines, the distance between the championship and other medals depends on small details in the athlete's performance. Therefore, considering the reward for these medals can be a part of the support system for athletes, although its amount should be determined according to the goals and financial resources of the country's sports.

In fact, the main issue is neither the same rewards nor the removal of silver and bronze medal rewards; Rather, it is to reach a "logical ratio" between them that both recognizes the superiority of the gold medal and does not ignore the achievements of other athletes.

Reward after success or investment to achieve it?

Perhaps the most important question in this discussion is the time and method of spending sports financial resources. Rewards are paid after success is achieved, while the main part of the championship path is formed before entering the field of competition. High-quality camps, access to expert trainers, appropriate equipment, medical and psychological support and provision of preparation needs, all can play a role in improving the performance of athletes.

From this point of view, increasing the gold bonus can be considered a part of a successful policy when it is placed alongside other supports and its effectiveness is also evaluated. If the goal is to increase the number of gold medals, it should be determined to what extent the increase in reward will strengthen the athlete's motivation and what part of the possible success depends on the quality of preparation and support before the competition.

It is more correct that financial incentives should be along with principled planning

Finally, increasing the gold medal reward could be a sign of more attention to the championship; But the measure of the success of this policy is not only the announced figure. What is more important than anything else in this report can perhaps be asked in the form of a general question that "if it is going to cost more for gold, isn't it better to prioritize the investment to increase the probability of achieving it in addition to increasing the reward after winning the championship?"

However, the importance of the gold medal and assigning more rewards to it is only a part of the success path of the country's sports. If the goal is to improve Iran's position in various fields, financial incentives should be placed next to principled planning, continuous support for athletes, and targeted investment in medal-winning fields. Don't forget that the reward is the result of success, but building the championship path starts long before the athlete's presence on the field of competition.