Gold medal winners guaranteed lifelong security

The gold medals handed out at the Beijing Games were nicknamed jinxiangyu, which means 'jade framed in gold', the combination of two ultimate treasures. They were said to be the most expensive gold medals in Olympic history, costing 2,000 yuan (HK$2,300) each.

But for a Chinese athlete, gold is priceless. It is the glory of all glories, won at home. It also means unprecedented government and corporate rewards, a handsome advertising income and a guarantee of lifetime security and state support.

The first thing young gymnast Jiang Yuyuan reportedly said after winning the women's team gold was: 'Mother, now you don't have to beg.'

Her mother once threatened Yuyuan, when 10, that if she gave up on the harsh training, the only option she had was to come home and beg. Her father made a meagre income as a cab driver in Guanxi .

At a party thrown at judo gold medallist Yang Xiuli's Liaoning home to celebrate her victory, city officials announced a prize of 100,000 yuan in cash and a flat. The mayor pledged that 'from now on, if Yang's family has any problems, the city government will always be there to help'.

Just before the Olympics, Yang's family could not even afford 9,000 yuan for her younger brother's university fees and they had to borrow from relatives.

Under the state-controlled sports system, athletes are recruited young and many come from struggling households. Becoming a top athlete offers a ticket out of poverty, but until they win world titles their lives rely on a monthly government cheque.

Shooting champion Qiu Jian's wife said the couple could now pay off their 150,000 yuan mortgage after he had snatched gold. The family of weightlifter Chen Xiexia got a huge plasma television on the first day of the Olympics as a gift from the village government so residents could watch Chen, who won the host country's first gold.

A gold medallist can expect about 1 million yuan in state bonuses. The central government has promised 350,000 yuan, a 75 per cent increase from Athens and 33 times that of the prize from Seoul in 1988.

But other government awards can be lucrative. Shaanxi province offered 1 million yuan; Zhejiang 500,000 yuan; and Liaoning 300,000 yuan.

Last weekend, the Hong Kong-based Henry Fok Education Foundation awarded each gold medallist a kilogram of gold (worth more than US$29,000) and US$80,000. Yanjing Beer promised each water sports gold medallist 1 million yuan.

For those with the right looks, and the right sport, the gold offers advertising opportunities worth millions of yuan. Economists estimated that when Liu Xiang dropped out of the 110 metres hurdles, it cost him 1 billion yuan.

'Athletes who do sports that are difficult to promote, such as shooting, weightlifting and boxing, tend not to have a wide appeal, although diving has been an exception,' said China Stars Sports Culture Communications manager Wang Qi . 'And a 'first' is always good, like a sport China has never won in.'

Little known before the Olympics, Chen Xiexia is already expected to pocket at least 10 million yuan from adverts and 3 million yuan in government and corporate prize money. She will be also be seen on sets of commemorative stamps.

Shanghai University of Sports professor Liu Bing said a gold, above all, offered lifelong security.

'Under the Chinese training system, athletes are not well-equipped for society,' Professor Liu said. 'Money is one-off, but a gold medal guarantees a job after they retire from sports, or the admission into the best schools. The government will definitely take care of these people over the years. They can't be seen living on the streets.'

Many earlier gold medallists have remained within the system as coaches, such as 'father of shooting' Wang Yifu or as a sports bureaucrat like table tennis queen Deng Yaping.

An increasing number have also been recruited into politics.

Former gymnast Li Ning is the definitive success story - from the three gold medals in Los Angeles in 1984 to becoming a successful businessman with his own brand.

However, at least for two gold medallists this year, winning could simply mean the fulfilment of a personal goal. Sichuan gymnast Zou Kai, who won three golds, has decided to auction one and donate the proceeds to quake victims.

Shooter Guo Wenjun has already denied rumours that she was hoping to be reunited with her father, who left the family nine years ago. But after hearing her heartbreaking tale, at least 10,000 netizens have signed up to help find him.

Worth the weight

Winning gold at the Olympics opens the door to wealth

The amount, in yuan, that Chen Xiexia, who won the first gold for China, is expected to receive in government and corporate prize money: 13m