Olympic gold and silver medallists 'still haven't been paid' from Paris 2024 and they're 'owed millions'

Several Olympic gold and silver medallists from South Korea have still not received prize money for their achievements, according to a new report.

The way athletes are funded to compete in the Olympic Games differs from nation to nation, with some structures more complicated than others.

Team GB athletes, for instance, don't get paid for competing but do get offered significant UK Sport grants which will help to fund their participation all the way to the Games themselves.

They can also earn extra money through sponsorship deals and endorsements, with some competitors also working full-time jobs in the lead-up to the Games.

That is the case for a number of other nations as well, though some do reward their athletes in the shape of bonuses if they finish on the medal podium - including South Korea.

The nation was successful in shooting at Paris 2024, winning three gold and three silver medals out of their 32 total medals across all sports.

One of the female gold medallists, Kim Ye-ji, even earned an acting role and appeared on the cover of GQ Magazine in the months following the Games.

But according to Korean outlets Yonhap News Agency and Korea JoongAng Daily, the Korea Shooting Federation (KSF) has yet to pay the prize money.

The situation, however, appears to be a complicated one, with the KSF reportedly asking the country's Sports Ministry for permission to use money from its promotional budget - which has not yet been granted.

Kim Ye-ji, silver medallist at Paris 2024, starred on the front cover of GQ Magazine after the Games (Image: Getty / GQ)

An official told the Yonhap News Agency that accessing the prize money was proving to be 'difficult' and it could be next year before permission is granted to release it.

It is claimed that the prize money bill, which is said to be a total of 300 million won (roughly £170,000), was originally expected to be paid out by the KSF through a contribution from its president. However, he resigned in August.

The KSF is due to pay out 50 million won (£28,000) to a gold medallist and 20 million (£11,000) to each silver medallist under its own regulations.