Polish Paralympians Will Earn Less Than Olympians. How Did This Happen?

The Paralympic Games do not gain as much publicity as the recently concluded Olympic Games, which is reflected in the amount of financial prizes awarded to medalists. Polish athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games will receive significantly less compensation than their Olympic counterparts. We already know the exact amounts.

Earnings of Polish Paralympians

During the Olympic Games in Paris, a lot of attention was paid to the awards for Polish medalists. Aleksandra Mirosław, winner of the gold medal, received 250 thousand zlotys from the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOl), an apartment, a diamond and a holiday voucher. Additionally, silver medalists Daria Pikulik, Klaudia Zwolińska and Julia Szeremeta were also awarded apartments from sponsors.

The Polish Olympic Committee paid out cash prizes: PLN 250,000 for a gold medal, PLN 200,000 for silver, and PLN 150,000 for bronze. In the case of team competitions, these amounts were even higher. The prizes were financed entirely by the Polish Olympic Committee and sponsors, without the participation of the Ministry of Sport.

In the case of the Paralympic Games, the issue of financial prizes is the responsibility of the Polish Paralympic Committee. Despite our efforts, for over two weeks we have not received a response from the committee to questions about the amounts of prizes. However, the Ministry of Sport responded that, in accordance with the Sports Act, the following amounts are due for winning a medal at the Paralympic Games:

1. For the gold medal – up to PLN 100,018.

2. For the silver medal – up to PLN 70,004,

3. For the bronze medal – up to PLN 55,040.

These amounts are significantly lower than those awarded to Olympians, accounting for less than 50% of the prizes awarded by the Polish Olympic Committee. It should also be added that Paralympians do not receive additional prizes, such as apartments or vouchers.

However, it cannot be ruled out that the Polish Paralympic Committee will increase these amounts in the future, although there is currently no official information on this matter.

Polish team at the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games in Paris, which will begin on Wednesday and last until September 8, will gather 84 Polish athletes, including 41 women and 43 men. Nine of them will start with the support of an assistant, pilot or guide. The Polish team will take part in 15 of the 22 disciplines that will be held during the event.

At the opening ceremony, Poland will be represented by Lucyna Kornobys, two-time Paralympic vice-champion, and Maciej Lepiato, world record holder in the high jump, who won gold medals at the two previous Games.

Polish athletes will compete in disciplines such as athletics, cycling, archery, swimming and wheelchair fencing. The Polish team has already won 798 medals in the Summer Paralympic Games since 1972. In the last games in Tokyo, the Poles won 24 medals, which gave them 17th place in the medal table.