Ireen Wüst won more medals (two gold and three silver) than any other Dutch athlete at the Sochi Winter Olympics and will take home a bonus of €65,000, the AD says on Tuesday.

Sven Kramer, who won two golds and a silver, is second on the list of high earners with a bonus of € 50,774 – before tax of up to 50%.

In total, the skaters will take home €481,368 in bonus money from the Dutch Olympics association NOC*NSF for their 24 medals.

King

The cheques will be handed over later today when the medal winners meet prime minister Mark Rutte and king Willem-Alexander. Willem-Alexander spent five days watching the Olympics in Russia and was criticised in some quarters for his exuberant reactions and lack of formality.

Meanwhile, the two ruling parties VVD and PvdA say they support setting up a special pension fund for top-level athletes.

On Monday, Olympic medal winning judoka Henk Grol said in the Telegraaf that some Dutch medal winners – like Margot Boer, Stefan Groothuis and Sjinkie Knegt – do not make money from the sport and have very low incomes.

He called for the tax on medal bonuses to be scrapped and the establishment of a proper pension fund.

Tax

VVD MP and former international rower Helma Nepperus told the AD she backed the idea of a pension fund but that making bonuses tax free would be going too far. ‘After the 1972 World Championships we even had to hand back our orange shirts,’ she said.

The Netherlands has 400 athletes with an A status which entitles them to a NOC*NSF stipend ranging from €726 for an 18-year-old to €2,234 for the over 27s. They are also allowed to earn up to €10,000 on top of that, the AD says.

Athletes are also encouraged to save in a special scheme which gives them breathing space after they stop competing and settle on a new career.

Nevertheless, the Olympic committee said it also supported the idea of a pension scheme for athletes.