Polish athletes who have won an Olympic medal can count on a special pension after their sports careers end. This “Olympic pension” is a lifetime monthly payment provided under the Sports Act of June 25, 2010. Athletes are eligible for the pension at 40 years old, or 35 if the medal was won before the act’s implementation. The pension’s amount is calculated based on the civil service base amount, currently set at PLN 4,203.04 gross, and is exempt from income tax and other deductions.
Who Benefits from the Pension?
Many Polish Olympians have secured this benefit in past Games. Following the Paris 2024 Olympics, several new athletes joined this distinguished group, including Aleksandra Mirosław, Klaudia Zwolińska, the Polish volleyball team, Julia Szeremeta, Daria Pikulik, the women’s épée team, the quadruple sculls rowing team, Iga Świątek, and Natalia Kałucka.
The pension is a fixed amount, regardless of the number of medals an athlete has won. Thus, a single medalist receives the same pension as a multiple medalist. Additionally, this pension does not exclude the possibility of receiving a regular state pension, allowing athletes to receive two pensions simultaneously.