Henry Cejudo after winning his gold.
As reported by the NY Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/sports/05wrestling.html?_r=3&ref=sports) and blogs like www.bloodyelbow.com, USA Wrestling has increased the stipends to be paid to world champions and Olympic medal winners. With the creation of the “Living the Dream Medal Fund” gold medal, silver medal, and bronze medal finishers at this years World Championships in Copenhagen, the 2010 and 2011 Worlds, and the 2012 Olympic Games will be awarded stipends that equate to real money. Specifically, USA Wrestling reports that the stipends for medal winners will be as follows:
For the World Championships, the the stipend will be $50,000 for a gold medal,$25,000 for a silver, and $15,000 for a bronze
For the London 2012 games, the stipend will be $250,000 for a gold medal, $50,000 for a silver, and $25,000 for a bronze.
You can read the announcement at USA Wrestling’s webpage (http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=20418). Interestingly, the NY Times article (see link above) spins the “Living the Dream Medal Fund” as an incentive for Olympic caliber wrestlers to bypass MMA. The article features an interview with gold medalist Henry Cejudo, with Cejudo explaining how he considered transitioning to MMA before winning his gold.
All the more reason to root for the success of MMA as a commercial venture. It’s about time our wrestlers don’t have to choose between eating and becoming world or Olympic champions. Granted, there are no guarantees in life, but having some potential light at the end of the tunnel will help to keep our top wrestlers competing. Kudos to USA Wrestling.