Canada's Paralympic athletes are winning lots of medals but none have reaped the financial rewards the country's Olympic athletes receive.
Many fans think it's unfair that Canada's Paralympic athletes don't receive money for winning medals.
"They are just as dedicated, they should be getting something or at least getting the same as Olympic athletes," says one spectator CTV News spoke to.
Canada's Olympic athletes receive $20,000 for winning gold, $15,000 for winning silver, and $10,000 for winning bronze.
The money comes from the Canadian Olympic Committee's Athlete Excellence Fund. The money in that fund is generated through sponsors, private donors, and a legacy fund from Calgary 1988.
"Theoretically, we'd like to celebrate our athletes by helping them and giving them money for medals. But the way our movement is, the place we are in, the Paralympic movement in Canada is such that we can't afford it," says Carla Qualtrough, the president of Canada's Paralympic Committee (CPC).
Paralympic athletes understand the reasoning behind the decision but not all agree it's the right one. "I actually think they're missing the boat here and it's provided a dividing line that probably shouldn't be there," says Jim Armstrong, a Paralympic curler.
The federal government says it recently gave $10-mililon to the CPC but it's up to them to decide how that money is spent.
With files from BC CTV
