How much will Indian athletes earn from winning an Olympic medal in Tokyo?
The prize money given to athletes for winning international accolades has risen over the past few decades. Several Indian state governments have recognized the contributions of their athletes in various capacities and have duly set out the criteria for earning monetary packages for accolades won while representing India. Individuals such as Abhinav Bindra, PV Sindhu, and Vijender Singh were all duly awarded for their medal-winning performances at the Olympics. The sports ministry also has a separate cash prize for medal winners. Gold medallists are awarded 75 lakh, silver medallists are given 50 lakh and bronze medallists are awarded 35 lakh. Here is the list of monetary incentives of a few notable states across India. 1)Rajasthan  The prize money has been significantly increased by the government. Olympic Gold medallists will now be awarded a total of 3 crores. Silver Medallists will be given 2 crores while bronze medallists will be awarded 1 crore. The government also increased the prize money of the Asian Games in a similar ratio. 2)Haryana  Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar took the initiative last year to give a massive monetary incentive to the numerous Haryana athletes who were aiming for the Olympics. Gold Medallists were to be paid 6 crores, silver medallists would be given 4 crores and bronze medallists would be given 1.5 crores for their achievements. To add to this, all medallists would be given a job in the Haryana Civil Service or Haryana Police. 3)Punjab  Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi announced the new cash incentives for Olympic representative's from Punjab last month. 2.25 crores would be given to Gold Medallists, 1.5 crores to silver medallists, and 1 crore to bronze medallists. The state has around 26 athletes heading to the Olympics this year and is one of the highest across India. A monetary boost of Rs. 5 lakhs has also been given to all athletes for their qualification. 4)Karnataka  Back in 2016, Chief Minister Siddaramiah announced that there would be a significant increase in prize money for Olympic Medal winners at Tokyo 2020. The prize money was 5 crores for a Gold Medal, 3 crores for silver and 2 crores for a bronze medal.