Quote from: cryptothief on September 19, 2018, 05:10:14 AM

Quote from: squog on September 18, 2018, 11:50:47 PM

Olympiads are motivated for the glory of the sport.

And yes, there are other clear motivational aspects - glory is undoubtedly one, and not just for Olympians.

Fame and glory (as you call it) are also inseparably and inherently linked to prosperity. So even in such matters money plays an important role, though it is clear that in most such cases it is secondary and comes as a nice bonus. But there's one thing which is greater than money itself, and it is called power, as I've written about that in another thread here.

When you have power, like that of a dictator, you don't need money anymore as you can take everything directly, whether it can be bought with money or not. Unsurprisingly, you can't buy power with money as it is worth a way more than money can ever buy. In this fashion, people who are looking for power are not interested in money as money for them can be only a tool or a means, among many others, not a goal.