this will make India's athletes the richest
Indian athletes competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can now earn big cash awards by winning medals.
The cash awards, announced by various state governments, range from £25,000 to £590,000.
Therefore, this will make India’s athletes the richest and most rewarded in the entire Olympic Games.
These state awards are separate from the awards that the Central Government offer to Olympic medallists.
They currently award athletes £75,000 for a gold medal, £50,000 for a silver and £30,000 for a bronze.
However, some Indian states are offering amounts below and above what the Central Government plans to give.
States such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have announced cash awards of almost £600,000 for a gold medal, and £245,000 for a bronze.
This is a considerably higher amount than what other competing nations such as the US, Italy and Russia are offering their athletes.
Therefore, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia, of Haryana, is in for a large cash bonus if he brings home a gold medal in Tokyo.
However, other states such as West Bengal are offering a slightly smaller amount.
This means athletes from West Bengal, such as table tennis star Sutirtha Mukherjee and gymnast Pranati Nayak, will receive £25,000 for a gold medal, and £10,000 for a bronze.
The difference between the cash awards given is due to the fact that the monetary value of an Olympic medal in India depends on where the medallist comes from.
Speaking of the cash awards, former cricketer and West Bengal’s Minister of State for Affairs of Sports and Youth Manoj Tiwary said:
“As per the 2018 order of the West Bengal government, for the Olympic Games, prize money for a gold medallist is £25,000.
“For a silver medallist, the prize money announced was £15,000, while a bronze medallist gets £10,000.
“From West Bengal, three sportspersons are going to the Olympics this year, and we will do what needs to be done for their encouragement.”
India has sent its largest-ever contingent to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics, with over 120 athletes competing across 18 sports for a place on the podium.
Out of India’s entire contingent, 31 athletes hail from Haryana, which is the most from any state in the country.
Therefore, Haryana is offering the highest cash award for their medallists.
At the Tokyo Olympics, nine out of the women’s 16-member hockey team come from Haryana.
The state has also provided the Indian contingent with four female and four male wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will begin on Friday, July 23, 2021.
Loading ...