Delhi doubles Olympic gold reward to ₹7 crore

New Delhi

In a big step to encourage sports in Delhi, the Rekha Gupta-led government on Tuesday announced major cash rewards and jobs for Olympic and Paralympic medal winners. Education Minister Ashish Sood said the rewards have been revised under the ‘Mukhyamantri Khel Protsahan Yojana’. Olympic Gold medallists will now get ₹7 crore, Silver winners ₹5 crore, and Bronze winners ₹3 crore. Previously, the rewards were ₹3 crore, ₹2 crore, and ₹1 crore respectively.

Rewards for other international events have also been increased. For the Asian Games, the cash prizes are now ₹3 crore for Gold, ₹2 crore for Silver, and ₹1 crore for Bronze. Commonwealth Games medallists will get ₹2 crore, ₹1.5 crore, and ₹1 crore respectively. National Games medallists will receive ₹11 lakh.

Olympic and Asian Games Gold medallists will be offered Group A government jobs, while other medallists will also be given suitable job opportunities. Sood emphasized that these steps will support athletes and help them focus on training.

To help young athletes prepare from an early age, the government will also provide up to ₹5 lakh as training support to students from Class 6 and above.

Sood called the new policy historic and said it reflects the Delhi government's commitment to the all-round development of youth through sports. The revised scheme nearly doubles the earlier cash incentives for international medal winners and adds job support, making it one of the most athlete-friendly policies in the country.