Australian Paralympians to Receive $20,000 for Gold Medal in Paris: Matching Olympic Prize Money

Australia’s Paralympians will receive up to $20,000 for bringing home a medal in Paris, the federal government having declared it will match the financial reward given to the country’s Olympians.

The Albanese government has announced medal incentives of $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze – the same amounts the Australian Olympic Committee gives its medal-winning athletes.

Paralympians had been anxiously hoping for such a measure after it was first put in place in Tokyo in 2021.

Those in the sector said the lead-up to Paris had been challenging financially for para-athletes amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Sport Minister Anika Wells said the payments were on top of $54.9 million in funding allocated to Paralympic sport in the 2024-25 federal budget.

“That is the largest ever funding for para-sport and helps us develop the next Madi De Rozario and Ellie Cole,” Wells said ahead of the Paralympics opening ceremony in Paris on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning AEST).

“The Albanese government is thrilled to provide the nation’s Paralympians with the same financial incentives for winning medals at the Paris Games as our Olympic medallists – and I know all Australians will be too.”

The Fight for Equality in Paralympic Sport

Paralympics Australia chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said achieving equal pay was important, particularly given there were so many barriers for people with disabilities to get into elite sport.

“They can’t just turn up to a basketball court and start playing. They need a playing chair or good-quality prosthetics to help them compete,” she said.

“There are a lot of barriers which you would argue increases the need for them to be recognised in the way Olympians are from a medal incentives perspective.”

McLoughlin said many para-athletes had been struggling financially due to the high cost of living, forcing them to work extra hours despite their intense training programs.

“They’re elite athletes and therefore they can’t necessarily work full-time, yet a lot of them do – they have to juggle because they have no choice,” she said.

“They pay more for rent because they’re having to find somewhere that’s accessible, which often costs more, or they can’t share with someone else. There are all these factors that … an able-bodied athlete doesn’t have to deal with or even have to consider.”

Financial Strain for Athletes

Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Curtis McGrath, who became a para-canoeist after he lost his legs while serving as a combat engineer in Afghanistan, said he was fortunate to have a military pension and sponsors, but many of his Australian teammates did not.

“These athletes that are out there representing Australia at the Games, they’re not on millions or hundreds of thousands of dollars, they’re on just a couple of tens of hundreds, and that’s really hard to get by,” he said.

“We don’t have those reserves and funds, so we have to fundraise for our team to get to the Games. That’s really something that we’re trying to rectify. The reward to represent your country is something that we are incredibly honoured to do, but the financial opportunities are not there.

“Hopefully more commercial partners get on board and increase the ability and the value of athletes right around our country.”

De Rozario, who will be one of Australia’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Games, added: “When it [the financial reward] was first announced in Tokyo, it was so exciting and to know that it’s happening again is gratifying.

“Paralympians aren’t here in Paris for money – we’re here in the green and gold because of what it means to us to compete for our country. This support tells us as Paralympians that we are valued. It also tells the public that athletes with a disability are equal with non-disabled athletes.”

Australia has a team of 160 athletes in Paris, competing across 17 of the 22 sports at the Paralympics.