I think athletes from almost any country know winning equals money - even the old Socialist countries awarded winners with nice homes, cars, etc., while almost any winner today can count on lucrative endorsement deals and advertising gigs. But I still believe most athletes in 'amateur' sports such as swimming compete for the sheer joy of swimming, and of being part of their summer league, high school, or college team. Last summer, US swimmer Missy Franklin was offered huge endorsement sums, but said she wanted to at least swim on a college team for a few years before going 'professional', so she rejected the offers and signed to swim for Cal-Berkeley. Good for her!
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