Italy Sets €180,000 Bonus for Gold at Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics

Francesca Lollobrigida celebrates after winning gold in the women’s 3,000 meters with an Olympic-record 3:54.28 at the speedskating venue in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 8 (Korea time). — Francesca Lollobrigida won gold in the women’s 3,000 meters with an Olympic-record 3:54.28 at the speedskating venue in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 8 (Korea time). [Photo=Yonhap·Reuters]

Italy, the host of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, has set medal bonuses of 180,000 euros (about 312 million won) for gold, 90,000 euros (about 156 million won) for silver and 60,000 euros (about 100 million won) for bronze.

Forbes reported on Feb. 7 (Korea time) that the Italian National Olympic Committee, known as CONI, approved the payouts, matching the amounts offered for the Paris Olympics two years ago.

The first Italian athlete to earn the gold bonus was speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida. She won the women’s 3,000 meters on Feb. 8 at the speedskating venue in Milan, setting an Olympic record of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds.

Competing in her fourth straight Winter Olympics — after Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 — Lollobrigida captured her first Olympic gold and delivered Italy’s first gold medal of these Games.

Local reports said Italy’s medal target for the event is at least 19.

From the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924 through the Beijing Games in 2022, Italy won 141 Winter Olympic medals: 42 gold, 43 silver and 56 bronze.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Kang Sang Heon ksh@ajunews.com