Training as a professional athlete is expensive, and the high price point to even arrive at the games, let alone make a living as a full-time professional, can be a meaningful barrier to those hoping to compete on sport’s biggest stage.
U.S. athletes may spend up to $100,000 preparing for the games.
“It’s astronomical,” skeleton bobsled racer Kyle Tress, who competed in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, told Mental Floss. “A competition sled alone costs well over $10,000, and you have to buy new runners at $1,000 each. Then there’s travel. Some of these places, like a ski resort in France, aren’t easy to get to.”
Crouser gets some financial help from sponsors, including a collaboration with supplement company Thorne; a partnership with Nike, which pays him quarterly; and grants from sports governing body USA Track & Field, which handles the athlete’s travel expenses.
Even the champion will admit being a full-time athlete wasn’t a given, despite coming from a family of Olympic track-and-field competitors.
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