Rs 50 lakh for India's Gold medal winners at Rio, IOA announces

Rio de Janeiro: To boost the morale of the sportspersons and keep them focused, the Indian Olympic Association, for the first time, announced a cash reward for the medal winners at the Rio Olympic Games. At a meeting with the managers and coaches of the teams, the IOA president N Ramachandran,  secretary general Rajeev Mehta, chef de mission Rakesh Gupta and the deputy chef de mission Anandeshwar Pandey, it was announced that the IOA for the first time would give Rs 50 lakh for a gold medal, Rs 30 lakh for silver and Rs 20 lakh for bronze. In addition, the coaches will be awarded an equivalent of 50 per cent of the amount that the athletes receive. So, a gold-winning athlete would receive Rs 50 lakh, while his or her coach would receive Rs 25 lakhs and so on. Ramachandran said, “This is the first time we are doing it and we hope that this will form an additional incentive for the athletes and we are looking at a higher than ever medal haul.” Rajeev Mehta said, “The IOA wishes to see the athletes perform at their best and this reward is the first step in this direction and we are hopeful of seeing the best haul ever.” At the meeting attended by representatives of all the disciplines on the eve of the Opening Ceremony, Rakesh Gupta said, “The athletes must keep in mind that they are ambassadors of the country and all eyes will be on them. We want the very best from them and no effort has been spared in helping them.”