Former Olympians also get paid to make appearances. Many of them won their medals in an era when Olympic success didn't go hand-in-hand with financial success.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Olympians are the product of the Movement, and to get them to the stadiums, pools and playing fields, it takes the actions of legions of people who might not be Olympians.
The Olympics are only once every four years, so you have to take advantage of all your opportunities, both to be an inspiration to people and help support your sponsors who help you.
Everybody in the Olympics is paid. Lindsay Vonn is going to make a million dollars whether she skis or not.
Nowadays a gold medal is a $1 million contract. Our athletes are our heroes.
To be an Olympian - not many people can say that. But first of all, I've got to make the team, and I know a lot of hard work is going to go into it, so hopefully it pays off.
The Olympic Games are highly commercialised. They purport to follow the traditions of an ancient athletics competition, but today it is the commercial aspect that is most apparent. I have seen how, through sport, cities and corporations compete against each other for financial gain.
I thought celebrity meant Hollywood, that's it. I began to see that does include Olympians. People have so much respect for Olympians.
Past Olympians have a continuing role within the Olympic family.
If you're going to stay in the Olympics, you've got to be entertaining and get sponsorship.
Becoming an Olympian is the ultimate reward for any athlete.