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Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 29
In a major policy decision which could positively impact the performance of Indian athletes preparing for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Government on Thursday increased the cash awards and incentives by 50 percent for those winning medals at the quadrennial event.
The Sports Ministry revised its ‘Scheme of Special Awards’ to medal winners in international events by increasing the award money in Olympic and Paralympics Games (summer and winter) from Rs 50 lakh to 75 lakh for gold, Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for silver and Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh for bronze.
In its edition dated June 28, 2014, The Tribune had reported that the Ministry has drawn up a proposal to hike the cash awards.
The interesting part about the increase is that the Ministry has included the medal winners from the All-England badminton championship.
The award money for medallists at Para-Asian Games and CWG (Para-Athletes) have been fixed at par with medallists of Asian and CWG. IBSA World Championship of Blind, Deaflympics and Special Olympics (summer & winter) have been included in the revised scheme.
Under the scheme, the number of days of training/coaching imparted by coaches to medal winners preceding the event to be taken into account for deciding eligibility of coaches for award money have been reduced from existing 240 days to 180 days.
Though the revised hike was part of the Ministry’s first 100-day action plan and Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had even promised to felicitate the medal winners of the 2014 Glasgow CWG and Incheon Asian Games as per the new government policy. But, the CWG and Asiad medal winners were rewarded as per the old policy of 2008.