This is actually true, at least in the US where athletes aren’t fully sponsored by the govt. I knew a guy who legitimately had to decide if he wanted to try and make the Olympic team in a track & field event. This guy explained to me he’d have a legit shot at making the team… if he was willing to commit to working a job that worked around his training schedule (usually only relatively low wage jobs will do this) and he’d have 5 figure debt to pay a coach for years. He never would have medaled, so even if he made the team all he would have to show for it was an amazing two weeks in the village and the ability to say he was an Olympian, but a huge amount of debt.
This is actually true, at least in the US where athletes aren’t fully sponsored by the govt. I knew a guy who legitimately had to decide if he wanted to try and make the Olympic team in a track & field event. This guy explained to me he’d have a legit shot at making the team… if he was willing to commit to working a job that worked around his training schedule (usually only relatively low wage jobs will do this) and he’d have 5 figure debt to pay a coach for years. He never would have medaled, so even if he made the team all he would have to show for it was an amazing two weeks in the village and the ability to say he was an Olympian, but a huge amount of debt.
Either that or they have a rich sponsor, like with the women’s water polo team and Flavor Flav.