Eero Hirvonen, a Finnish athlete, is set to earn €20,000 for his Olympic bronze medal. This amount is part of a structured incentive system in Finland that rewards athletes for their achievements at the Games. The Finnish Olympic Committee's top sports director, Janne Hänninen, explained that these sums are deposited into an athlete fund, where athletes must pay taxes upon withdrawal or can make use of the funds for their training expenses.

In addition to the government bonuses, medalists may also receive additional rewards from their respective sports federations and sponsorship agreements. The sport's federations often include compensation in individual athlete contracts, although details of these agreements remain private. Petter Kukkonen, the head of elite sports at the Finnish Ski Association, mentioned that specifics about these contracts can only be disclosed by the federations involved.

It is worth noting that the International Olympic Committee does not award cash prizes for medals; instead, they provide only the medals themselves as recognition of the athletes' achievements. Thus, the financial incentive structure in Finland highlights the importance of national support for athletes competing on the world stage.