Athletes train their entire lives for the chance to win an Olympic medal. Stepping onto the podium is the culmination of a lifetime of effort, determination, and sacrifice.

The winning athletes in Paris received their medals and a box containing the official Summer Games sticker. But these were not the only rewards that many Olympic champions received.

More than 40 countries rewarded their victorious athletes with bonuses of varying levels of generosity. Over 25 countries offered more than 100,000 US dollars to athletes who returned from Paris with a gold medal.

Meanwhile, the United States rewarded its champions with a prize of 37,500 US dollars. However, this amount is more generous than the rewards given to athletes from countries like Great Britain, Sweden, and Norway, who receive nothing. But this places the U.S. team only 35th on the list of the most generous countries.

As the Paralympic Games prepare to kick off, CNN Sports takes a look at some of the amazing - and less impressive - rewards that athletes receive for achieving Olympic glory.

More than Gold

The sport of fencing is not known to be the most financially rewarding, but fencers Cheung Ka Long and Vivian Kong from Hong Kong returned home with more than just gold medals. The city-state - in collaboration with the Hong Kong Equestrian Club - is very generous with successful Olympic athletes, paying 6 million Hong Kong dollars, about 1 million Canadian dollars, to athletes who win gold medals.

Don't feel too sorry for the bronze medal winners from Hong Kong, as they were rewarded with 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars (more than 260,000 Canadian dollars) for their efforts. All medal winners can also look forward to free train tickets for life, courtesy of the giant MTR railway company.

However, these aren't the most generous payments available for Olympic athletes.

Saudi Arabia has yet to win an Olympic gold medal, but any athlete who wins one first can look forward to a big payday. According to Reuters, any Saudi Olympic champion is promised five million Saudi riyals (about 1.8 million Canadian dollars).

Student athlete Tarek Hamidi became a millionaire overnight when he won the silver medal in karate for Saudi Arabia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman decided he deserved the bonus promised to gold medalists.

Asia can arguably be considered the most generous continent to its athletes, with six of the top 10 payments from the Olympics this year coming from there. Georgia is the only European country to make it into the top ten, with Serbia just missing out, receiving 200,000 euros (about 301,000 Canadian dollars) and Italy receiving 180,000 euros (about 271,000 Canadian dollars) for gold medalists.

Countries tend to be more generous to victorious athletes when the nation's historical performance is less successful.

Filipino gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo won two gold medals in Paris - the only two golds ever won by a Filipino athlete. As a result, he received 10 million pesos, equivalent to 703,000 Canadian dollars, from the government.

The Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos decided to add an additional 20 million pesos, bringing his total cash reward to 30 million pesos (more than 2.109 million Canadian dollars).

However, the 24-year-old gymnast was not just rewarded with money. Organizations and individuals from across the country showered the sports star with gifts. Among other gifts, Yulo can look forward to receiving a set of headlamps, free ramen and lifetime colonoscopies, university credits, and an apartment, according to multiple reports including the Wall Street Journal and the BBC.

No National Service

The Philippines is not the only country rewarding its victorious athletes with non-monetary perks.

Gold medal winners from South Korea were rewarded with around 50,000 dollars and an exemption from the country's mandatory national service.

Olympic champions from countries like Kazakhstan and Tajikistan have been promised apartments by their home countries. Reports indicate the Iraqi football team and weightlifter Ali Amer Yaser received land and money just for qualifying for the Games.

Uzbek medalists were awarded cars that increased in value the higher their game ranking, with the eight gold medal winners from the country receiving a Chevrolet Tahoe worth around 80,000 dollars. Romanian billionaire Ion Tiriac fulfilled his promise to give Hyundai cars to every medal winner from the country.

In addition to granting them 250,000 zlotys (about 88,000 Canadian dollars), gold medal winners from Poland were rewarded with a two-bedroom apartment, a painting, and a holiday voucher. Silver and bronze medal winners received lesser amounts and lost the apartment.

So, if you're looking to win a big payday - alongside the gold medal - competing for Hong Kong or Saudi Arabia might be your best bet. But if your goal is to secure unlimited healthcare, making sports history for the Philippines is the way to go.