There was a time when Russia (or the former Soviet Union) could take Olympic success for granted. Such was the phenomenal depth of sporting talent that finishing at the top of the medals table was seen as the norm.

Things have changed, with the poor economic situation not helping matters either. In Atlanta four years ago, Russia won 26 goldmedals, yet still finished a distant second to America's total. But to help inspire potential Olympic champions, a bonus of $100,000 has now been offered for anyone who brings home gold.

President Vladimir Putin has promised to match the $50,000 bonus of the Russian Olympic Committee, whose president Vitaly Smirnov said: "It wasn't easy for our government to find these funds taking into account the economic situation. But we had to convince them of the importance of such bonuses to many of our top athletes, especially when you see how much money other countries are offering athletes."

That's interesting. Does anybody remember how much money the Irish government is offering our gold medal winners?