Gold medallist Philippines' Margarita Ochoa , silver medallist United Arab Emirates's Balqees Abdulla , bronze medallists Vietnam's Phung Thi Hue and Thailand's Pechrada Kacie pose for a photograph at a medal ceremony for Ju-jitsu women's 48kg event during the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Oct 5, 2023.
India doles out US$36,000 for a gold at the Asian Games, a fortune in a country where tens of millions of people live below the poverty line and average annual income is US$2,380. Singapore's National Olympic Committee awards a US$146,000 prize to individual athletes who clinch gold, a hefty sum but barely enough to buy a small flat in the wealthy city-state.
If Kuwaiti gold medallists Abdullah Al-Rashidi and Yaqoub Al-Youha do not already drive, now would be the time to learn. It is controversial back home, with one triumphant competitor in Hangzhou declining to talk about it when asked by AFP.But asked what it meant to them, athletes at the Games invariably said they were motivated by higher goals than mere material reward.
But there's no doubt getting a monetary boost can be life-changing for some athletes, especially those from a poor background.