Historic $100M Gift Creates Long-Term Financial Security for Team USA Athletes

Team USA enters the 2026 Winter Olympics as a medal favorite, and with a new $100M program designed to protect athletes long after retirement.

The wait is over: The 2026 Winter Olympics begin Friday in Milan Cortina. A heavy favorite to medal across most events, notably figure skating, speed skating, and hockey, Team USA looks to extend its impressive run of being the most decorated federation in Olympic history.

Despite being a powerhouse on the world’s biggest stage, Team USA athletes remain woefully underpaid for their often record-breaking accomplishments. One person is looking to properly compensate them for their achievements and continue providing financial protection even long after they retire from their respective sport.

Announced in March 2025, billionaire philanthropist Ross Stevens, founder and chief executive officer of Stone Ridge Holdings Group, pledged $100 million to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USPOC). Branding himself as a longtime Team USA supporter, the Stevens Financial Security Awards is all about helping U.S. Olympians and Paralympians feel more secure once their competitive careers end. This grant promises real financial support, both for athletes themselves and for the families and beneficiaries who invested in their success.

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Stevens’ $100 million commitment is also the largest gift in USOPC history and will begin immediately with the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games this week and continue through at least the 2032 Games. Every U.S. Olympian and Paralympian is guaranteed to receive $200,000 in financial benefits for each Games they compete in.

Here’s how it works:

$100,000 to live: Athletes can access this portion of the award either 20 years after the Games in which they qualified or at age 45, whichever comes later. The money is paid out over four years and can be used for whatever purpose, whether that means launching a business, supporting their family, or planning for the next chapter of their life.
$100,000 to protect: This portion provides a guaranteed benefit for an athlete’s family or chosen beneficiaries, ensuring long-term protection and security.
The multiplier effect: Athletes receive $200,000 for every Games they compete in. So someone who participates in three Olympic or Paralympic Games would earn $600,000 in total benefits.

At its core, the program brings together two powerful ideas: the long-term growth potential of investing early and the security of guaranteed benefits made possible through life insurance. The result is a forward-looking approach that supports athletes not just during their careers, but for decades to come.

What the World Pays Its Olympians

Around the world, many countries already offer some form of long-term financial support to their Olympic athletes. Per The Wall Street Journal, Russia and China, two federations with substantial Olympic medals, provide retirement stipends or pensions, while South Korea has offered pensions to elite athletes since the 1970s, with payouts tied to medal performance. More recently, the Australian Olympic Committee announced a retirement grant of about $22,000 for every Olympic Games an athlete competes in.

Stateside, the USOPC traditionally focuses its support on helping athletes train and compete, along with medal bonuses funded entirely through private donations. American medalists currently earn $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze.

Compared to some countries, those incentives are fairly conventional. Elsewhere, rewards can be far more unorthodox. In Poland, Olympic champions receive an investment-grade diamond and a painting. In South Korea, medalists are exempt from mandatory military service. And in Kazakhstan, Paris 2024 judo gold medalist Yeldos Smetov received a very different kind of retirement package: 100 thoroughbred horses and a Lexus car.

With the Stevens Financial Security Awards, the USOPC is setting a new standard for how athletes are supported after competition ends. It’s a clear statement that representing Team USA shouldn’t come at the expense of long-term financial security.