There may be a lot of popular swimmers today, with one of the most famous being Michael Phelps. Popular they may seem, have you ever thought how professional swimmers are making money? Basically, these professional swimmers are receiving stipends both from National Teams and Olympic Committees.
Top swimmers take home prize money and get funding from both sponsors and individual donors. Then again, there are swimmers who are working full-time job in an effort to support their passion. Swimmers do receive funding from US Olympic Committee in order to assist them with the costly maintenance of the sport.
How much You Need to be a Swimmer?
Whether you believe it or not, swimming is ridiculously expensive. It is estimated that a swimmer may have to allocate about 100,000 dollars annually to support their passion. This figure would make sense after factoring the following:
- Pool time
- Coaching
- Training
- Travel and equipment
- Day to day expenses
Club swim teams cost a penny too. For instance, for Phelps to swim in Baltimore Aquatic Club, he has to pay roughly 1,500 to 3,000 dollars annually.
This is a ton of money and most swimmers do not have spare time to have a day job supplement these costs as a result of their intense training.
Do You have the Talent?
This is the same reason why US Olympic Committee are helping handful of talented individuals with their financials, in which most came from donors.