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Anonymous
Various corporations have also jumped into the act, including Beijing-based Yanjing Beer Co. It's offering $146,000 for each gold medalist in the 32 water sports events, $70,000 for each silver and $28,000 for each bronze.
That's a great leap forward compared with a few decades ago when Chinese athletes were expected to be content with their daily wages and their patriotism. China's first gold medalist, the self-trained Xu Haifeng, who won in the 50-meter pistol in Los Angeles in 1984, was given a $2,600 bonus.
"In the old days, they just gave you a plaque," said Wei Hanfeng, executive editor of Sports Illustrated's Chinese edition. "Now Chinese gold medalists walk away with more than many athletes in developed countries."
Still not satisfied? How about the kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold, worth about $29,000, and $80,000 in cash offered by the Huo Yingdong Education Foundation, which might assuage winners who discover their gold medal is actually gold-plated.
Add it up and Chinese gold medal winners can expect to pocket an estimated $300,000 on average. That amounts to more than 100 years' wages for the average Chinese city dweller and 300 years' for rural residents.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-payoff23-2008aug23,0,2963045.story
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