Should Government Heap Riches on Athletes?

Should Government Heap Riches on Athletes?

Since the London Olympic Games came to an end, China’s gold medalists have been collecting the fruits brought by their successful performances. Pricey awards offered by the government and businesses are outlandish, attracting attention among the public. Houses, cars and money are lavished upon China’s star athletes, team officials and coaches. Being an Olympic medal winner—particularly, a gold medalist—seems to mean becoming a millionaire overnight. On August 21, the Municipal Government of Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, held a party for the Chinese badminton team, where the local government awarded the team 1 million yuan ($158,730) for their success in winning five gold medals at this year’s Olympic Games.

The Beijing Municipal Government gave a cash prize of at least 1 million yuan to each gold medalist, while Guangdong’s prize may be the most generous of all, with each Olympic champion receiving a cash reward of 5 million yuan ($793,650) plus a luxurious car.

It is estimated that each Olympic gold medalist receives an award worth around 5 million yuan, roughly 200 times a Chinese working-class family’s annual income.

Some people oppose the lavish awards offered by the government, while some hold that these athletes achieve the success after years of hard work and they deserve to be rewarded. The following are excerpts of some opinions.

Supporters

Sea (www.focus.cn): Winning a gold medal in the Olympic Games is an athlete’s life-long dream. Once he or she has attained a gold medal in the Olympics, it likely marks a turning point for their lives. Their road to the gold medal required them to pay so much in the form of physical and mental stress.

Even for athletes who have not earned gold medals, bonuses are still necessary. There are too many unexpected factors at play in the Olympic Games. As long as they have made their utmost effort—even if they come back without gaining any medals—material rewards are still deserved.

Jun Jiahui (www.163.com): Some people argue that since the government pays for the athletes’ training, it’s their obligation to win glory and respect, so extra bonuses are unnecessary. However, Olympic champions have their own reasons for personal success. They have worked very hard to be at the top of their individual sport, but even the medal bonuses they are offered may not be enough to buy a house in China’s big cities.

It’s fine to offer Olympic champions bonuses as long as the procedure is legal, because these athletes deserve to be respected. It’s helpful to China’s sports development.

Huang Yuetao (www.163.com): Even without the cash prizes, becoming an Olympic champion is still an athlete’s biggest dream. They are priceless treasures for the country.

We know that movie stars can earn millions and even tens of millions for their performance in one movie, while athletes have to work very hard for several or even dozens of years to stand on the Olympic podium. In this sense, a medal bonus of a few million yuan is not that big at all.

Bai Zhibiao (www.163.com): All Olympic athletes should be awarded regardless of the outcome, though at different levels, of course. Although the Chinese National Women’s Volleyball Team did not perform very well in the London Olympic Games, its sponsors still offered them cash prizes. This is an important incentive for the athletes.

Yan Pengcheng (www.people.com.cn): We all know how fierce the competition is in the Olympic arena and how much an athlete needs to pay to make it to the podium. Around the world, we see Olympic medal winners awarded with all kinds of prizes, including cash. Olympic medals are important encouragement for a nation’s spirit and provide glory for the whole country.

Large bonuses for Olympic medal winners must be handled properly, or it will result in negativity. Thus, there should be some differences in prizes.

If condemnation of medal bonuses are based on patriotism and the public’s true concerns for the sound development of China’s sports, that’s one thing; but often, the condemnation is based on kind of psychological reaction to Olympic champions suddenly becoming millionaires. In order to justify their opinions, some argue wrongly that, “huge bonuses will impact social fairness and the Olympic Games will become all about money.”

Opponents

Zhu Zhongbao (www.singpao.com): Olympic champions worked extremely hard for their success. Therefore, offering them prizes is necessary, but it goes too far when local governments hand over large material rewards.

Chinese athletes depend on the government for training, competition and travel costs. It is Chinese taxpayers who are responsible for their expenses. Without the state’s help and the strong backup of public finance, it would be nearly impossible for them to become Olympic champions. It’s unacceptable to first train them with taxpayers’ money and then reward them with taxpayers’ money too.

Zhang Bolun (www.yahoo.com): Olympic champions have worked very hard to achieve their success. It’s okay to offer them material rewards and honor. However, the government’s huge cash prizes for the athletes undoubtedly come from Chinese taxpayers. Is there any oversight on how the funds are operated? The answer is no. When the whole process is going on in the black box, scandals inevitably break out.

More importantly, we see Olympic champions become millionaires overnight while the whole nation’s overall health situation is declining, faced with a shortage of ordinary sports and athletic facilities.

Under China’s state-run sports system, the Chinese delegation easily took one gold medal after another at the London Olympic Games. However, China is far behind the target of developing into a strong sports power. Ordinary people’s physical health is in decline, particularly students in primary and middle schools. Most sports facilities are not evenly spread out, and are mainly located in cities. The lack of exercise leads to a poor constitution of the whole nation. According to statistics issued by the State Council, 160 million people in China are suffering from high blood pressure, 160 million are suffering from hyperlipidemia and 200 million are overweight. About 75 percent of the nation’s people are living in substandard health conditions. These statistics offer strong proof that while China is producing top athletes, it is by no means a real sports giant.

Wang Qi (www.sportscn.com): Many enterprises seek to get close to Olympic champions because of their celebrity effect. Meanwhile, some Olympic champions’ families, coaches and leaders hope to capitalize on the opportunity. When both sides focus on money, the image and value of an Olympic champion will get lost.

The commercial madness of Olympic champions can at most sustain for two months. Businesses rush to sponsor champions immediately after the London Olympic Games, but as the public’s love for Olympics cools down, these enterprises will turn to other celebrities.

In China, Olympic marketing booms once every four years, and only for a very short time. This trend will actually damage the country’s sports industry in the long run.

After the London Olympic Games, China’s Olympic champions are busy with all kinds of commercial activities. Celebrity endorsements are not an easy thing. Athletes need the guidance of their accountants’ professional knowledge, but in China, athletes’money is often handled by their family members or team leaders. Connecting Olympic champions too much to money will damage their image among the public.