Money, luxury apartments and cool cars. What do they give to Olympic medalists?

The Olympians went home. What gifts await athletes in their home countries?

Today Russian President Vladimir Putin will present Russian Olympians state awards. But the encouragement for those who performed at the Pyeongchang Olympics is not limited to this.

Russia is a generous soul

Traditionally, financial bonuses are provided for places on the podium. Payments to athletes remained the same as after the 2016 Rio Olympics. The corresponding decree was signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev back in 2017.

Articles | “The Russians needed this victory like air.” Canadians - about Olympic hockey

So, for the conquered gold medal The government bonus will be 4 million rubles, that is, a little more than 70 thousand dollars. For silver - half as much - 2.5 million rubles, and bronze “costs” 1.7 million rubles. But the list of gifts does not end there. The Russian Olympians Support Fund immediately purchased 140 BMW cars to be presented to athletes through the Russian representative office of the German concern. There is also a gradation here. The “gold” ones will be given the keys to the X6 model, the “silver” ones will get the X5, and the “bronze” ones will get the X4.

This tradition dates back to 2006. Rio medalists in 2016 were also given BMW cars, but the Sochi winners were given Mercedes. It turns out that for the victory in the final over the German team, Russian hockey players will receive a German car.

By the way, that's not all. After the ceremony in the Kremlin, the athletes will go on to collect pleasant bonuses. They expect rewards from the regions and from their own sports federations. The Krasnodar authorities, for example, will pay the champions 2 million rubles, but in Tver “gold” is valued exactly one million rubles more.

It is almost impossible to calculate the total fee of each athlete. But if we take the Tyumen skier as an example Alexandra Bolshunova who won two silver medals and one bronze, then we can calculate the approximate size of payments. The athlete is entitled to 9.2 million rubles from the federal budget, and another 9.5 million rubles from the regional budget. A BMW car from wealthy patrons costs approximately 3 million rubles. In total, we receive 21.7 million rubles only in official payments and gifts.

It's good to be Singaporean

Cash rewards for winners Olympic Games paid in many countries. But with gifts things are much worse. Mostly Asian countries are famous for this. After the Games in Sochi, an athlete from Kazakhstan received a Daewoo Matiz car as a gift. After Rio, keys to more luxurious cars and apartments in elite areas of Astana were handed over there. They also gave apartments to Olympians from Azerbaijan.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin awarded the gold medalists of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with medals. In particular, the Order of Honor was awarded to nine athletes, the Order of Friendship - to 37 winners.

Also, the winners of the Olympic Games will receive four million rubles and white X6 cars. Silver winners will be awarded a BMW X4 and 2.7 million rubles, and bronze winners will receive a BMW X3 and 1.7 million rubles, INTERFAX.RU reports. The prize amounts have not changed since the London Olympics.

It is noted that all the cars were assembled at the Avtotor plant in Kaliningrad. Director of the Russian Olympians Support Fund Alexander Katushev in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel noted that we're talking about about more than 100 cars.

In past years, Olympic winners received Mercedes and Audi SUVs as gifts.

The XXXI Summer Olympic Games ended on August 21 in Rio de Janeiro. More than 11 thousand athletes took part in them.

Let us remind you that the Russians competed in a significantly reduced lineup due to the disqualification of many athletes. The Russian team in the team event, winning 56 medals, including 19 gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze. 107 out of 280 won medals Russian athletes. In terms of the total number of awards, Russian athletes were only behind athletes from the USA, Great Britain and China.

MK found out how the winners of major competitions are honored abroad

On Thursday, the Internet is teeming with discussions of the “hot” news: . Gold medal winners will receive X6, silver medal winners will receive X4, and bronze medal winners will receive X3. Before the presentation, the cars were delivered to Vasilyevsky Spusk and decorated with Olympic symbols. We decided to find out how widespread this tradition is when authorities give expensive gifts athletes and celebrities in general, as well as which countries support it.

In Russia, such a practice has existed for a long time and, it seems, is taken for granted by everyone. True, the bar is rising - previously, Olympians were awarded cars of a slightly lower class, these were various Audi models. The year 2010, by the way, was marked by a small curiosity when figure skater Evgeni Plushenko, having barely received a new four-wheeled friend from Dmitry Medvedev, who was then president, immediately announced that he would put it up for auction.

It is not customary for European authorities to give gifts to athletes, even those who have set records. More precisely, they are sometimes limited to modest gifts. For example, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite gave two compatriots Milda Valciukaite and Donata Vishtaraite, who received bronze medals, perfume. However, this was not an encouragement for victory, but rather a consolation - the girls were robbed during the games. Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis was even more restrained in his expression of feelings: from him the Olympic team received a loaf of rye bread and a national flag, issued before the games, apparently for the future.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko presented participants of the country's national football team that qualified for Euro 2016 with firearms, which somewhat surprised the public.

The authorities of Azerbaijan distribute gifts with a generous hand. In 2013, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, presented a group of athletes who demonstrated high achievements in various competitions with the keys to new apartments. Among the lucky ones was the winner of the XXVII Universiade of Students Greco-Roman wrestling Rasul Chunaev, European champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Rafig Huseynov, freestyle wrestling coach Elchin Zeynalov and even chess coach Lyutfiyar Rustamov. If we talk about representatives of martial arts, they are especially lucky with gifts. For example, not so long ago a contender for UFC title lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov received a surprise from one of the richest people in Russia, Dagestani billionaire Ziyavudin Magomedov - a Mercedes AMG GT. And his UFC colleague Mairbek Taisumov received a Mercedes from the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Kadyrov, by the way, - generous soul a person can make rich not only athletes. Many were bewildered and surprised when he gave a five-room apartment to Gerard Depardieu. If we move on to the gifts that various countries presented to stars, we can recall the Torah presented to Madonna by ex-President of Israel Shimon Peres in 2007, as well as a sports suit with Estonian folk designs, which was presented to her by the ex-wife of the President of Estonia Evelin Ilves .

A singer from a completely different opera, Sofia Rotaru, once accepted a gift from the now ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko of an amber-encrusted box. In 2008, he gave the tallest man in the world, Leonid Stadnik, a car in which he could fit. But perhaps the prize for the most extravagant gift could go to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and we’re not talking about athletes or celebrities here: he decided to give a house to a woman who threw a mango at his head, desperately asking for help.

Just a few hours after the champions and medalists of the Olympic Games in Brazil received BMW cars as a gift in the Kremlin, some athletes began selling crossovers on the secondary market. In particular, on the Auto.ru portal on August 25, that is, on the day the athletes were awarded in the Kremlin, it appeared announcement about the sale of the “Olympic” BMW X6. The seller wanted to get 4.67 million rubles for the car in the Luxury configuration. - by 10 thousand rubles. less than such a car costs at dealers.

Katerina from Khimki, indicated in the ad as the seller, perhaps in order to raise the price, said that “the car was issued by VV Putin himself,” although in fact the cars were presented to the Olympians by the Prime Minister of Russia, and the President gave them state awards.

“For achievements at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, or rather for olympic gold!!!,” the announcement notes. - The car is new! xDrive 3.5 petrol, 306 l/s, luxury equipment. The car is insured! Bargaining is strictly at the hood. I don’t need help selling a car!!!” (the author's spelling and punctuation have been preserved).

The author of the ad indicated that you can call him around the clock. The ad also states that the seller will consider trade-ins. However, the girl herself who posted the ad told Gazeta.Ru that money was still preferable. The interlocutor explained that she is only an intermediary and is selling BMW at the request of one of the athletes, whose name she is forbidden to disclose. “Only one person will know whose BMW this is – the one who buys the car,” explains Katerina. According to Gazeta.Ru, we are talking about one of the champions in synchronized swimming.

According to her, there are several reasons why the athlete decided to get rid of Medvedev’s gift. “She only got her license a few months ago and she simply can’t cope with such a machine. The driver even drove the car from the Kremlin.

The family doesn’t need such a car either. The family is simple - relatives are used to traveling by buses and trolleybuses. They need apartments more than cars.”

Katerina noted that there have been a lot of calls since the announcement was submitted. “Sometimes I don’t have time to answer - they hang on the second line. Mostly collectors call - they were really waiting for the ad to appear.”

Within a few hours, the ad received about 5 thousand views.

It is worth noting that on Friday afternoon the car was promptly sold, as reported in an advertisement that has not yet been removed from the Internet site.

According to Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor, one of the Rio Olympic champions has already sold the BMW X6 she just received right outside the Kremlin. “She had just left when her fan, who follows her performances, intercepted her with a suitcase of money and offered seven million. Literally two hours later the car was sold.

The girl, whose name I also cannot name, explained that she drives cars of a higher class, so she has nothing to lose.”

At the same time, Velikaya does not condemn those athletes who decided to immediately sell the donated cars.

“Everyone has different situations in life, so, of course, someone can exchange this gift for something more necessary,”

- notes the Great.

Olympic champion in team competitions in foil Artur Akhmatkhuzin stated at a radio station to journalists that he would rather receive a BMW as a gift than a Lada. “Of course, it’s more pleasant to get a BMW than a Lada, but what are you talking about? But this is a gift from the president, a very high reward. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” said the athlete.

As Gazeta.Ru wrote, the keys to the new cars were received by the Olympic champions from Medvedev’s hands on August 25. For the first time, cars were presented not on Vasilievsky Spusk, but right on the Kremlin territory. The athletes who brought gold from Rio were given a BMW X6. Silver medalists received X4, and bronze medalists received X3.

It is noteworthy that earlier a source from Gazeta.Ru in the car market, related to the purchase of cars for Olympic medalists, expressed the hope that this time the athletes would like the cars and there would be no scandals associated with the sale of these cars. Some winners of the previous Games in Sochi sold the cars presented to them for their victories. Among these was a biathlete who used the money to buy another car, as well as a bobsledder. Olympic champion At the Games in Sochi, the figure skater also announced her intention to sell the car given to her, but the athlete promised to send the money to children's charity.

Like Gazeta.Ru, there were other scandals not related to the sale of Olympic BMWs. So, on Thursday, a journalist accused an Olympic wrestling champion of dangerous maneuvering in the center of Moscow, who had recently been awarded a BMW X6 car for the gold medal. According to the journalist, the athlete impudently cut him off.

Traditionally olympic athletes from Russia, occupying one of the places on the podium, receive generous gifts from the state. On Wednesday, February 28, the champions and medalists of the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, were awarded in the Kremlin. The athletes received white BMW cars. As it turns out, the Olympians' plans for prize cars vary greatly.

On Wednesday, February 28, the Olympic champions were honored in the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the athletes with state awards, and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev presented the winners and medalists of the Games with the keys to brand new white BMW cars. The gold medal winners were given the keys to the BMW X6 (price from 4.7 million rubles), the silver medal - from the BMW X5 (from four million rubles), the bronze medal - from the BMW X4 (from three million rubles).

The celebration was not without its oddities. The car keys were mixed up, and some Olympians received the wrong “iron horses.” The mistake was corrected on the spot: the athletes simply swapped keys.

The athletes decided to use gifts from the state differently. But everyone, without exception, was pleased with the new acquisitions.

Thus, the winner of the Games gold medal in women's singles figure skating Alina Zagitova announced that she would give the car to her parents. The 15-year-old athlete said she was pleased with the gift and would definitely learn to drive in the future. She was also supported by her ice colleague, Olympic silver medalist, Evgenia Medvedeva. However, the figure skater did not answer the question of whether she would sell the gift.

Winner of four past medals Winter Games- three silver and one bronze - skier Alexander Bolshunov was very happy with the gift, saying that the new car came in handy

I don't have a car right now, so this gift is very cool. There are rights. I plan to drive a donated car, because this way I won’t buy a car for a long time. I will not erase any inscriptions from the car.

Nikita Gusev, a member of the Russian national hockey team, which won the long-awaited gold at the last Olympics, shared with reporters that he still does not understand that he is an Olympic champion. He plans to use the car and promised to drive according to the rules.

But figure skater Ekaterina Bobrova, who became second in team competition with Dmitry Solovyov, on the contrary, said that she would sell a generous gift and “give part of the money to charity.”

Fortunately, I have my own car, so I’m going to sell this one to donate part of the money to charity, as I did after Sochi. I'm happy that I have the opportunity to help people

Vladimir Morozov, a figure skater who won silver together with Evgenia Tarasova, shared with “360” his plans for the donated car:

I will travel and enjoy. In general, you first need to drive it to understand whether you like the car or not. And then we will see further. I like it so far. I am very pleased to receive support from the Foundation

Vladimir Morozov.

Buy “what’s simpler”

The practice of exchanging or selling gift cars is not new, but for some reason it always causes a resonance in society. Probably because in Russia it is not customary to re-give gifts.

So, in August 2016, after the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a big story happened. One of the champions sold her new BMW X6 a few hours after leaving the Kremlin territory. It was reported that the amount exceeded the market value of the car almost twice. The athlete agreed and gave the car for more than seven million rubles, saying that she prefers to travel only by car upper class, so I didn't lose anything. Who it was is still not known, it is only reported that it was a member of the synchronized swim team.

Many athletes openly admit that they cannot afford the maintenance of such an expensive car, so they put gifts up for sale and use the proceeds to buy “something simpler.”

Even earlier, in September 2011, the media was shocked by another scandal: two-time Olympic boxing champion Alexey Tishchenko put up for sale the BMW X5, which he received for gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Perhaps the fact of sale would not have caused such a great resonance in the public if Tishchenko had not approached the sale with imagination. The boxer ordered airbrushing with a moment from his own fight and Olympic rings, which significantly increased the price of the car. However, the scandal was quickly hushed up. Really, who wants to argue with a boxer? Tishchenko himself admitted to the press that he needed the money to build a house, as well as to conduct an election campaign for elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Omsk Region.

Very strange situations also happen. One of these occurred in 2010 after the Winter Games in Vancouver. Figure skater Evgeni Plushenko, speed skater Ivan Skobrev and bobsledder Alexander Zubkov were unhappy with their gifts. That year, the “Olympic Support Fund” gave an Audi Q7 for gold, an Audi Q5 for silver, and an Audi A4 Allroad for bronze. None of the named Olympians was able to receive the highest award, but they were able to “knock out” champion cars for themselves, and without paying the difference in cost. As it turned out, the athletes complained that the cars that they were entitled to receive medals turned out to be too small for the athletes and more suitable for women.