Hong Kong (AFP)
The IOC does not award financial rewards to medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but many countries and regions are offering incentives for their athletes to take home gold, silver or bronze.
Many of these incentives come in the form of financial rewards, but they can be more varied, ranging from exemption from compulsory military service, to cars and apartments, to free food deliveries as well.
Here’s a look at some of the rewards offered to gold, silver and bronze medalists around the world:
South Korea: An Olympic medal, whatever its color, grants athletes an exemption from 18 months of compulsory military service that all able-bodied males must perform before they reach the age of 28.
Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games also grants the same exemption, which Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son achieved in Jakarta in 2018 to avoid military service.
South Korea’s six shooters at the Tokyo Olympics who won four of the five gold medals all received cars from team sponsor Hyundai.
Poland: Individual gold medalists will receive a cash prize of 250,000 zlotys ($63,000), a two-room apartment, diamonds, a painting and a holiday voucher.
A generous reward of cash and other gifts is also offered to the silver and bronze medal winners.
Indonesia: Apriyani Rahayu and Grecia Polli, who won women’s doubles badminton gold in Tokyo three years ago, have been promised rewards ranging from new homes from a property developer to meatball restaurants from a social media influencer.
Apriani was also promised five cows, a plot of land and a house by the district chief in her hometown in South Sulawesi, according to state news agency Antara.
Other reports said that state-owned PT Pegadayan had promised to give the duo three kilograms of gold.
Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said they can enjoy free vacations in five major tourist destinations in the country.
Jordan: When athlete Ahmad Abu Ghosh won Jordan’s first gold medal in the 68kg taekwondo weight class at the Rio Olympics, the National Olympic Committee gave him 100,000 dinars ($140,000) and his coach about half that.
Abu Ghosh also received numerous other rewards and gifts from local companies, including a car and a luxury watch, while King Abdullah II awarded him the Order of Merit, First Class.
Philippines: Weightlifter Hidilyn Dias was honored for being the first Filipino to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics by being awarded two properties and promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino said he had previously given winning athletes houses and land at his own expense.
Iraq: According to officials, each of the Iraqi national football team players received more than nine million dinars ($7,200) and a plot of land for qualifying for the Olympics.
Weightlifter Ali Ammar Yasser received a car and a plot of land after qualifying for the Games, and was promised $1 million if he returned with a bronze medal or better in weightlifting.
Malaysia.. The first Malaysian athlete to win a gold medal in Paris will not go hungry, as the transportation and delivery company “Grab” has promised to deliver food orders for free for a year.
Winners will also receive a car provided by Chery and a luxury apartment from a real estate developer, the government said.
India: When Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in javelin throw in Tokyo, he was promised a year of unlimited air travel from India Go and a new seven-seater car from a businessman.
Singapore: After Joseph Schooling made history at the Rio 2016 Olympics by beating the legendary Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly, the car service Grab offered him and his family free transportation for a year, a reward he shared with a blind masseuse and a Paralympic swimmer.
Singapore Airlines offered one million air miles, while the government gave S$1 million ($750,000) to each of the gold winners.
Hong Kong: The Hong Kong government has given Paris gold medallists Vivian Kong Man-wai (Sword) and Ka-Lung Chung (Sheesh) lifetime metro tickets, and promised the same reward to all other medal winners.
The Hong Kong Racing Club offers a reward of HK$6 million ($770,000) to each of the gold medal winners.
The Pure gym chain is also offering lifetime memberships to all 35 Hong Kong athletes participating in Paris.
Cathay Pacific said it would offer all medal winners free business class travel for a year.
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