Many people were surprised to find that most Olympians end up needing to keep their day jobs. Naturally, there’s another, vastly different side to the story of prize money: In countries like Saudi Arabia that have never won a gold medal, the prize winnings could be enough to set the athletes up for life—or certainly until the next Olympic Games.
At the Tokyo Games in 2021, karate master Tareg Hamedi won the second-ever silver medal for Saudi Arabia, which made him a national hero—and millionaire. He neared the end of the match in plum position to win gold, but was disqualified for an illegal and dangerous move in which he kicked his Iranian opponent in the head, knocking the karateka unconscious. Ultimately, the opponent won gold and Hamedi claimed silver, which caused a stir in the karate community, but Hamedi conceded with respect and without objection.
