Even after adjusting for inflation, the worth of medals remains to be the best ever, with Olympians benefiting from each the sharp rally in bullion costs and more and more hefty medals.
In apply, Olympians don’t are likely to soften or promote their medals, which this yr additionally comprise a small piece of the Eiffel Tower. Extra profitable are the items that nations give successful athletes, which embody money, exemptions from army service and cows. Carlos Yulo – who turned the Philippines’ first male gold medalist final week – will get pleasure from a totally furnished condominium and a lifetime of free colonoscopies.
Medals which are bought could be value way over their steel worth. One in all Jesse Owens’ gold medals from Berlin 1936 – when he rebuked Adolf Hitler’s try and showcase Aryan racial supremacy – fetched nearly $1.5 million at public sale in 2013.
(By Jacob Reid)