You're reading: Ukrainian athletes to get $100,000 for Olympic gold

Ukraine will pay $100,000 to those athletes who win gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, $75,000 for silver medals, and $50,000 for bronze, First Deputy Head of the State of Youth and Sports of Service of Ukraine Serhiy Hluschenko said. 

At a briefing in the Cabinet Ministers of Ukraine on Wednesday, he said that the amount of the prize money hadn’t changed since 2004.

The preparations of the Ukrainian Olympic team for this year’s Olympics have been financed in full. The funds were taken from the state budget of Ukraine. In 2011 the financing was UAH 215 million, and this year more than UAH 348 million, Hluschenko said.

According to media reports, coaches of this year’s Olympic medalists will receive half of the prize money of the winning athlete. Traditionally, in addition to money, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine promised to provide the winners with flats.

As reported, the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London will start at 2000 local time on July 27. Ukraine is sending 245 athletes to the Olympics this year.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing the Ukrainian team won 27 medals: seven gold, five silver and 15 bronze medals, and placed 11th in the unofficial team standings. Olympic gold medallists received from Ukraine UAH 700,000, silver medallists UAH 500,000, bronze medallists UAH 350,000. Their coaches got 50% of the prize money.