Leon Marchand has spearheaded France’s gold rush in Paris (Picture: Getty)
Former Olympian David Douillet has slammed the decision by the French government to tax the bonuses awarded to medal-winning athletes in Paris this summer.
The hosts France have enjoyed a hugely successful Olympics so far and currently sit third in the table – behind China and the USA – with 48 medals, including 13 golds.
Superstar swimmer Leon Marchand won four gold medals on his own, while the country also claimed a whopping ten medals in Judo alone.
Any French athlete who secured a place on the podium will be given a cash prize by the government, ranging from 80,000 euros for gold, €40,000 for silver and €20,000 for bronze.
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However, athletes will be required to pay back some of that money to the state in taxes, a decision described as ‘scandalous’ by former French judoka Douillet.
‘For some athletes, it’s pocket money, and for others, in small sports, it’s huge. Taxing that? I think it’s a shame,’ Douillet, who won Judo gold at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, told French outlet RMC.
‘It’s true that it may seem like a lot of money But you have to be aware of one thing: when an athlete gets 80,000 euros, do you know how long it takes him to get his charm?
David Douillet (right) has slammed the French government’s decision to tax athlete bonuses (Picture: Getty)
‘Between 10 and 15 years old. And it’s more like 15. If you spread 80,000 euros over 15 years, you’ll see what it is.
‘And on top of that, you have to pay taxes on it? It’s scandalous.’
Taxes on bonuses were reintroduced by the French government at the last summer Olympics in Tokyo, although the budget to reward athletes has been more than doubled for the Paris Games.
France have already smashed their previous record haul for medals at an Olympic Games, surpassing the 43 medals they claimed at the Beijing in 2008.
And there will be more medals to come for the host nation, including in the men’s football where Thierry Henry’s side will face Spain in the gold medal match on Friday.
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