Sports

2026 Winter Olympics medal payouts for athletes

For athletes at the ongoing 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, a podium finish can mean more than glory and a medal. In some countries, it also comes with watches and six-figure payouts.

Nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 national Olympic committees are competing at the Winter Games across 116 medal events across eight sports.

While the International Olympic Committee does not award prize money, many governments and national Olympic bodies offer cash bonuses.

Here is how some countries stack up, based on information compiled by CNBC from national Olympic committees, sports associations and local reports.

https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/j1RHA/1/ Singapore tops the payout rankings for the 2026 Winter Games.

The Southeast Asian nation offers about $792,000 for an individual gold medal, $395,000 for silver and $197,000 for bronze, making it the most generous gold-medal payout among the countries reviewed.

Singapore has only competed in one previous Winter Games, the 2018 edition, where short-track speedskater Cheyenne Goh finished 28th in the women’s 1,500 meters.

The country is again represented by a single athlete in Italy: alpine skier Faiz Basha, who failed to finish the first run of the giant slalom at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, ending his campaign in a field of 81 athletes.

Hong Kong, which has sent alpine skiers and short-track speedskaters to compete in Italy, offers roughly $768,000 for gold, $384,000 for silver and $192,000 for bronze. The city has yet to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

In Europe, Poland stands out not only for the scale but also for the variety of its rewards. Individual gold medalists can receive about $211,000. The package also includes a Toyota Corolla passenger car, a fully finished two-room apartment, a painting, a holiday voucher and jewelry.

Paintings and jewelry are also part of the entitlements offered to silver and bronze medalists, along with monetary rewards of about $169,000 and $124,000, respectively.

Italy, the host nation, offers about $214,000 for gold, $107,000 for silver and $71,000 for bronze.

South Korea awards about $208,000 for gold, roughly $139,000 for silver and $70,000 for bronze.

In some cases, rewards extend beyond standard medal bonuses. South Korean state media reported that snowboarder Choi Ga-on received 300 million won from her sports association after winning gold, while private companies also presented additional gifts, including a luxury watch from Swiss brand Omega.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee awards $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze.

Glory only, for some

That said, not every winter sports powerhouse pays direct prize money.

Norway, which boasts the most medals in Winter Games history, does not award cash bonuses for podium finishes. Instead, athletes who continue competing may qualify for financial support from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The stipend is worth roughly 160,000 Norwegian kroner per year ($16,831) and includes access to professional training and medical services.

In some countries, there is no publicly disclosed medal bonus scheme. The United Kingdom does not award cash bonuses for Olympic medals, meaning Team Great Britain athletes will not receive additional payments for podium finishes in 2026. Instead, financial support is provided through UK Sport, which uses National Lottery funding to back training, coaching and athlete development.

China also does not publish a standardized national payout structure for Winter Games medals, with rewards often determined at the provincial or sponsor level.

An Olympic medal represents years of sacrifice and training. In a high-stakes competition decided in seconds, a podium finish can also bring a life-changing payout.

CNBC

Sports

How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup in UAE

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner meaning football fans in the UAE need to prepare for a summer of late nights and early mornings.

While not having free-to-air World Cup coverage, the UAE will still have full access to every single match through beIN SPORTS, the official broadcaster for the Middle East and North Africa region. That means all 104 games will be shown live, but via subscription-based platforms.

There are a few ways fans can tune in with the most traditional option through a beIN SPORTS satellite subscription, which delivers dedicated World Cup channels straight to your TV.

For those who prefer streaming, beIN CONNECT offers live coverage on mobile, laptop and smart TV devices. Meanwhile, TOD by beIN has become a popular standalone streaming option, giving fans more flexibility to follow the action without needing a full satellite package.

What time do the games kick-off in UAE?

With the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, spanning multiple time zones, matches will follow a structured daily rhythm designed for global audiences, but it isn’t so helpful for UAE fans.

During the group stage, the matches will most frequently rotate through the following set of kick-off windows:

11:00 PM GST
2:00 AM GST
5:00 AM GST
8:00–11:00 AM GST

It means fans in the Emirates will get a real mix of late night and sunrise football. Whether it’s gathering with friends late at night or catching highlights over morning coffee, the World Cup will be part of daily life across the country for a month-long stretch.

While the absence of free-to-air coverage means viewers need a subscription to follow every match, the upside is complete access to the entire tournament in one place, with full coverage, analysis, and dedicated World Cup programming across beIN’s platforms.

And of course, football in the UAE rarely stays behind closed doors. Across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and beyond, fans can expect packed sports bars, fan zones, and public screenings throughout the tournament, creating that shared World Cup atmosphere that brings people together no matter who they support.

So, whether you’re watching at 11pm, 2am or even grabbing a quick nap before a 5am kick-off, one thing is certain, the World Cup is set to take over life in the UAE once again.

KSA

LIV Golf CEO urges trust in Saudi PIF funding commitment.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told CNBC Tuesday that as a funding cliff approaches, the organization has to trust Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will back the golf venture through the rest of the season as it has promised.

“I can say they’ve been terrific partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” O’Neil said. “They’ve been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead.”

PIF is set to pull its funding from the golf league at the end of 2026 schedule, CNBC reported in late April. PIF Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan also stepped down from his position as LIV Golf chairman.

The organization began an investor roadshow last month, seeking to raise up to $350 million from stakeholders to continue its operations.

But recent media reports suggested PIF could pull its money earlier than planned, raising doubts about whether the league could even finish out its season.

When asked about those reports, O’Neil said the players, management and advisors are “locked in.”

Asked if he can guarantee that the four remaining tournaments on this year’s schedule will take place, O’Neil said that what he “can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business.”

He added that the organization now needs to be “disciplined and very, very value-creative” in order to be sustainable.

“I think we have a very, very special opportunity to create tremendous value,” O’Neil said.

So far, O’Neil said, he’s had five formal meetings to discuss interest in funding the organization, with 18 more planned for this week. He said the response has “been positive” and that he hopes to end the fundraising process this summer.

“While we have incredible business momentum, what we don’t have is a lot of time, so we’re very urgently out there talking to those who are interested,” he said

CNBC

Sports

Lewis Hamilton insists he is getting closer to first Ferrari victory

Lewis Hamilton believes his first win for Ferrari is on the cards after a second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, with the seven-time champion committed to chasing down the Formula One world championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, who won again in Monte Carlo.

After the race there was also a furious reaction from France’s Pierre Gasly, who crossed the line believing he had secured third and a place on the podium, only to find he had two penalties for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to seventh.

Antonelli won for Mercedes after a dominant drive and maintaining his lead through a safety-car restart and another standing restart. With his teammate George Russell finishing in 13th, one of five drivers penalised for speeding in the pit lane, the 19-year-old Italian now leads the title race by 66 points from Hamilton, who has surpassed Russell and is two points ahead of him in second place.

“I can’t believe I am second in the championship,” said Hamilton. “It is still very early days in the season and we have to keep chasing. It is actually easier to chase than it is to defend and while these guys [Mercedes] are very quick, we are going to keep pushing, keep chasing and I have no doubt that at some stage we will get that [Ferrari win].

“Kimi is doing a phenomenal job but it just encourages me to level up and it encourages everyone else to level up, too. I am going to do my best to try and chase him down for the rest of the year.”

Hamilton was among five drivers who were penalised for speeding in the pit lane, an unusually high number. Alongside Russell, Gasly and Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Franco Colapinto were also punished.

Gasly had driven a superb race from ninth on the grid, passing Lando Norris at the start and then Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar at the standing restart. He crossed the line and celebrated his third place enthusiastically on his in-lap, not knowing he had two five-second penalties to be added to his time.

He was left angry, convinced his podium place had been unfairly denied. “I don’t think there is anything that could hurt me more right now,” he said. “It’s 10 years I’m fucking working my ass off for this type of moment. We did everything right today [for] standing on that podium in front of all the fans that turned up.

“This is the type of moment that for me can’t be taken away from us by unfair reasons. What’s going on right now is not right and hopefully they can make the right choice.”

His Alpine team have requested the right to review the penalties. The drivers involved all believed they had employed their pit speed limiters correctly and the issue appears to have come about when marginally cutting the line where speed measurement begins on pit entry, an issue the FIA had warned against.

Russell has seen his title hopes take a serious blow in not scoring at the last two races and was let down in Monaco when Mercedes failed to impose his five-second penalty during his stop, for which he was given a drive-through, demoting him from third to 13th. He was bereft at his poor fortune.

“I’m beyond frustration now. Just struggling to comprehend how this season has panned out,” he said. “The team tell me there’s nothing I did wrong with the speed in the pit lane, software issue.

“I’m in a very weird state of mind because I’ve had very low moments in my career where I’ve maybe had a run of two bad races or three bad races on my own personal performance. I’ve never had a run of bad luck like this.”

THE GUARDIAN