According to the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), Kazakhstan is one of three former Soviet Bloc states in the top five of countries offering substantial cash rewards to athletes who come away from Sochi with a medal this month.

With the country's largest city, Almaty set to host the 2017 Winter Universiade and also bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, authorities in Kazakhstan appear determined to provide as much incentive as possible for its athletes to improve on Elena Khrustaleva's solitary silver medal in women's biathlon at Vancouver 2010.

So far, no athlete from Kazakhstan has managed a podium finish in Sochi after four full days of action.

Ukrainian Vita Semerenko's bronze medal in Sochi has earned her $50,000
©AFP/Getty Images



Latvia, also yet to register a medal at this year's Games, is next on the list, offering its athletes $192,000 (£116,000/€141,000) for a gold medal with $95,000 (£57,000/€70,000) and $70,000 (£42,000/€52,000) on offer for silver and bronze respectively.

Ukraine's Vita Semerenko is the only athlete to bag a cash bonus so far from the three former Soviet states in the top five, earning $50,000 (£30,000/€37,000) for her bronze in the women's 7.5 kilometre biathlon sprint.

A gold medal would have earned her $150,000 (£90,000/€110,000) while a silver would have netted $75,000 (£45,000/€55,000).

Ukraine sits third on the money list behind Italy, whose athletes can expect to receive $190,000 (£115,000/€140,000) for winning gold, $102,000 (£62,000/€75,000) for silver and $68,000 (£41,000/€50,000) for bronze.

Hosts Russia complete the top five, offering its athletes $113,000 (£68,000/€83,000) for securing gold medals on home soil while silver and bronze will net them $71,000 (£43,000/€52,000) and $48,000 (£29,000/€35,000) respectively.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Korea, Finland and the Netherlands make up the rest of the top 10.

Finland is offering its gold medal winners $41,000 (£25,000/€30,000) each however, members of the country's men's and women's ice hockey squads can expect to receive double that should they secure a first ever Olympic title, reflecting ice hockey's position as the number one sport in the country, according to AIPS.

Finland's ice hockey players are in for a $82,000 cash bonus should they secure a first ever Olympic title in Sochi ©AFP/Getty Images



Last time out in Vancouver, Canada topped the overall medal table which saw the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) reportedly shelling out around $1.5 million (£91,000/€110,000) and in Sochi Canadian athletes will pick up $18,000 (£11,000/€13,000) for gold, $14,000 (£8,500/€10,300) for silver and $9,000 (£5,500/€6,500) for bronze.

That puts Canada one place behind the United States, who are in 17th place on the money list with $25,000 (£15,000/€18,000), $15,000 (£9,000/€11,000) and $10,000 (£6,000/€7,300) available for gold, silver and bronze medallists respectively as the US looks to improve on its third place finish in Vancouver.

The second-placed nation from four years ago, Germany, are offering $27,000 (£16,000/€20,000) to its gold medallists, with $21,000 (£13,000/€15,500) for silver and bronze medal winners picking up $15,000 (£9,000/€11,000), placing them ahead of the 16th highest cash rewarders Austria.

Austrian athletes will receive their rewards in the form of coin sets worth $22,000 (£13,000/€16,000) for gold, $17,000 (£10,000/€12,500) for silver and $14,000 (£8,500/€10,300) for bronze.

To view the list of cash rewards for the top 19 countries click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]