Queensland swimmer Emma McKeon got here out of the Tokyo Olympics with 4 gold medals, $110,000 money, a slew of recent sponsors, and oh, a Companion of the Order of Australia award.
Whereas no-one would ever begrudge McKeon her Olympic medals and any money rewards that include them, the Australia Day award is one other matter.
The query of whether or not these sorts of awards ought to go to odd Australians who serve their fellow residents with no considered reward, or those that are merely doing their job - and are sometimes properly paid for it - has lengthy been a problem for debate.
When it was introduced on Wednesday that each Australian gold medallist from Tokyo had obtained an Order of Australia there was no scarcity of criticism on social media and information website remark sections.
Particularly when contemplating that award recipients such McKeon, skateboarder Keegan Palmer and BMX rider Logan Martin are already reaping the monetary rewards of their Olympic success.
McKeon is sponsored by worldwide manufacturers Speedo, Nike and Coca-Cola, and as Australia's all-time biggest Olympic medal winner is assured of a cushty future.
Palmer and Martin, as the most popular faces in two of the most important and most consumer-driven pastimes within the worldwide youth market, are already cashing in big-time.
At 17 years-of-age US-born Palmer is reportedly value US$7.5 million, with sponsors together with Nike, Oakley and Purple Bull. Martin, 27, who's sponsored by Rockstar Vitality and Hyper BMX bikes amongst others, is alleged to value round US$5 million.
All of which has raised the ire of reports website readers who've taken to their keyboards in protest.
'The prize for successful a gold medal is a gold medal,' learn one remark typical of many. 'It mustn't robotically equate to Australia Day honours as properly.'
'Why are we giving Australia Day awards to Olympians?' wrote one other. 'They've already been rewarded. Let's give awards to individuals who actually deserve them.'
Others have been extra vitriolic, with one questioning the Member of the Order of Australia awards given to Palmer and Martin.
'So we're giving out awards for using a BMX bike and a skateboard. This does not dilute the significance of the award in any respect,' he wrote sarcastically.
There isn't any questioning the trouble and dedication required to even make an Olympic staff. Athletes dedicate themselves to hours of coaching, typically on the expense of relationships, schooling and profession prospects - and so they largely do it for little or no monetary return.
Australian athletes thought-about by the Australian Institute of Sport to be a critical likelihood of successful a medal at Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Video games, are eligible for presidency grants of as much as $35,000 a yr.
The swimming and rowing packages are underwritten by billionaire businesswoman Gina Reinhart, offering athletes in these sports activities with round one other $30,000 every, and a really small variety of high-profile personalities reminiscent of swimmers Cate Campbell, Ariane Titmus and McKeon additionally obtain earnings from particular person sponsors.
After which there may be the Australian Olympic Committee's Medal Incentive Funding program which, for Tokyo, offered $20,000 for each gold medal received, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze.
With 4 gold and three bronze medals, McKeon was the best beneficiary of the scheme however the $110,000 she earned for the haul which made her essentially the most profitable athlete of all competing nations on the Video games, is a far cry from the monetary rewards loved by athletes in different sports activities.
For successful the ladies's singles championship at Wimbledon final yr - the tennis equal of Olympic gold - Ash Barty earned $3.25 million.
The truth that McKeon's seven medals in Tokyo, added to the 4 she received in Rio 4 years earlier, took her to the highest of Australia's all-time Olympic medal tally makes an excellent case for her to be included within the newest Australia Day honours.
It's this yr's Australia Day Awards' blanket gold medal coverage that raises questions.
Similar to, is it honest to robotically current a lifetime nationwide award on the idea of 1 efficiency?
Can an athlete who wins a gold medal of their first try be deemed extra worthy than one who has competed at three or 4 Olympics however by no means reached the highest step of the rostrum?
What of a competitor who misses gold in a person occasion by 0.001 of a second? Is their effort over years of preparation much less deserving than that of a member of a successful relay staff?
And what about Paralympians? Are their gold medals someway much less invaluable that these of Olympians on this age of inclusion?
Then, in fact, there may be the difficulty of simply what these Australia Day awards are actually all about: additional honouring individuals who bask within the highlight of sporting glory, or recognising those that work tirelessly and anonymously within the shadows to help them alongside their journey?
For each Olympian there's a individual on the native sports activities membership marking out the sphere or sweeping the dressing sheds. There are dad and mom driving packed vehicles of neighbourhood children to 6am coaching, and volunteers promoting raffle tickets and manning the barbeque.
The place are their OAMs?
The official standards for awarding the overall division of the Officer of the Order of Australia (OAM), the award robotically introduced to Tokyo gold medallists is, 'Distinguished service of a excessive diploma to Australia or to humanity at giant'.
Does successful an Olympic gold medal robotically meet that customary?
Not everybody thinks so. As one information website remark learn: 'The place are the true heroes? The individuals who put their lives in peril for us and accomplish that a lot to maintain us secure. Those that work endlessly to offer assist for folks in want. Truthfully, anybody would suppose sport is all there may be on this world!'
