In a bid to boost sports, Delhi government announces up to $800K, jobs for medal winners

The Delhi government has announced cash incentives and government job placements for athletes from Delhi, who win medals in Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games, and other big sporting events, as a step towards bolstering the sporting environment within the city. Delhi minister Ashish Sood presented the plan on Tuesday (July 22), announcing that Delhi Olympic gold and silver medalists will be appointed to government Group A posts, and bronze medalists will be appointed to Group B posts. Meanwhile, Paralympic medallists will be given Group B posts.

“To boost the sports ecosystem in Delhi, players winning a gold, silver, or bronze medal in the Olympics and Paralympics will be awarded Rs 7 crore, Rs 5 crore, and Rs 3 crore, respectively. For Asian Games and Asian Para Games, the prize money has been increased to Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore, and Rs 1 crore for gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. In the Commonwealth Games, Rs 2 crore, Rs 1.5 crore, and Rs 1 crore will be awarded, and for the National Games, Rs 11 lakh will be awarded for every medal winner,” he was quoted saying to news agency ANI.

"Delhi players who secure a gold or silver medal in the Olympics will be offered a government job in the Group A category, while bronze medal winners will be offered a job in Group B. Every medal winner in the Paralympics will be given a Group B job. For the Asian Games, gold medal winners will be awarded a government job in the Group A category, while silver and bronze medal winners will receive jobs in the Group B category. For the Asian Para Games, gold medal winners will be awarded a government job in the Group B category, while silver and bronze medal winners will be assigned to jobs in the Group C category," he added.

The minister also talked about the grants and initiative for the Commonwealth medal winners. He said, “In the Commonwealth, gold and silver medal winners will be assigned to the Group B category, while bronze medal winners will be assigned to the Group C category. Every medal winner in the Para Commonwealth Games will be given a job in the Group C category.”