19 August :The Sports Ministry has announced a prize money of Rs. 50 lakhs to Abhinav Bindra, for his gold medal in the Beijing Olympics 2008, under the scheme of special award to medal winners in International Sports events.
Coming in the back drop of Bindra’s medal winning performance, Dr. M.S. Gill, Sports Minister, spoke to Finance Minister and Prime Minister for enhancing the prize money from Rs. 30 lakhs to 50 lakhs, for gold medallists in the Olympics. The Ministry also increased the prize money, of silver and bronze medals, as indicated in the table below:
Type of Olympic Medal | Existing Prize Money | Revised Prize Money |
Gold | Rs. 30 lakhs | Rs. 50 lakhs |
Silver | Rs. 18 lakhs | Rs. 30 lakhs |
Bronze | Rs. 12 lakhs | Rs. 20 lakhs |