So far, Kacper Tomasiak (two silvers, one bronze), Paweł Wąsek (silver) and Władimir Semirunnij (silver) have won medals for Poland in Milan and Cortina. In addition to making history, our athletes will also earn a lot.
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The bonus system for successes at the Olympic Games is extensive in Poland and includes both cash and material prizes. The gold medal in the individual competition includes several hundred thousand zlotys, an apartment, a car and additional benefits from sponsors and partners of the national team. There is no housing provided for silver yet, but it may end up that the medalists will get it anyway – as was the case with the Olympic vice-champions of the summer games in Paris. We wrote more about this matter and the awards for Polish medalists in Business Insider Polska.
What's new in 2026 is that part of the bonuses – from approx. PLN 150,000 PLN for bronze in the individual competition up to PLN 1 million for team medals – it is to be transferred in tokens related to the TeamPL Token project, listed on the cryptocurrency exchange. This is the result of cooperation between the IOC and Zondacrypto.
Tax exemption. For tokens only at the start
Prizes paid by the Polish Olympic Committee have been exempt from PIT for years. In 2026, the regulations were also extended to cover prizes in kind and – as confirmed by the Ministry of Finance in a response to the Polish Press Agency – they will also include tokens, provided that the Polish Olympic Committee is the entity transferring them.
However, this is only the first stage. In its response to PAP, the Ministry of Finance clearly indicates that the exemption applies only to the moment of receiving the award.
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The sale of tokens is already a normal tax, says the Ministry of Finance
The problem arises when the athlete decides to cash in the digital prize. Income from the paid sale of tokens – treated as virtual currencies – is classified as income from cash capital and is subject to a 19% tax rate. tax is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.
In practice, this means that the transaction must be settled in the PIT-38 form by April 30 of the following year.
As PAP writes, the method of calculating the costs of obtaining income is unclear. In the case of a classic cryptocurrency purchase, the cost is its purchase price, but in the case of a token received as a reward, such an expense does not occur. The real amount of tax will depend on whether the tax office considers the value of the prize on the date of its award as a cost or whether it assumes the cost is zero.
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Who pays the reward matters
Who will formally transfer the tokens may also be crucial. The tax exemption only covers awards from the Polish Olympic Committee, the Polish Paralympic Committee and the Polish Deaf Sports Association. So if digital assets go to medalists directly from the sponsor, their receipt may also be taxed.
It is worth noting that TeamPL Token is listed on the cryptocurrency exchange and is subject to market valuation – in mid-February its price was more than twice as high as at the beginning of the month.
