Countries desperate to succeed at the 2022 Asian Games are promising houses, money, cars and even government jobs to entice athletes to win medals at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Many competitors in the Asian sporting event, which ends on Sunday (10/8/2023), say they are more interested in glory than financial gain.

However, medals, especially gold, will usually be followed by luck. Nomplock which can change the lives of athletes and their families, especially those who are amateur athletes and not professionals in their respective sporting fields. The Indian government, for example, offers a bonus of US$36,000 (Rs 562.3 million) for a gold medal in the Asian Games.

This figure is relatively large in a country where many people still live below the poverty line, with an average annual income of US$2,380 (Rp37.1 million). However, for some Indian athletes, a stable life is a more valuable reward. The reason is that Olympic and Asian medalists can get government jobs if they really want to.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, for example, was promoted to senior railway official after winning a gold medal at the Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018, as were wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.

Meanwhile, the Singapore National Olympic Committee is awarding larger sums to gold medalists. They donated 146,000 US dollars (2.28 billion rupees) for each gold coin obtained by the Singaporean athletes. The sum may seem large, but it is barely enough to buy a small residence in this rich country.

Another wealthy country, Kuwait, also rewards its athletes with luxury goods. If Kuwaiti gold medalists Abdullah al-Rashidi and Yaqoub al-Youha don’t know how to drive yet, it’s time for them to learn.

The reason is that a Kuwaiti businessman offered to buy cars for those who win gold medals, and the 60-year-old shooter Al-Rashidi will receive a Volvo as a gift.

Achievement bonuses are also guaranteed for Indonesian athletes who receive medals. When sending the Indonesian contingent to Hangzhou, Tuesday (19/9/2023), President Joko Widodo said that athletes who win medals will receive a house bonus.

In a press statement delivered in the courtyard of Merdeka Palace, Chairman of the Indonesian contingent for the 2022 Asian Games Basuki Hadimuljono and Coordinating Minister for Human Empowerment and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy stressed that all medalists will receive a house bonus. “You get a medal, you get a house,” Muhadjir said.

In line with the mandate of the President, Basuki added that medalists who own land will have their houses built in their hometowns or elsewhere. “It’s a technical question, it’s easy later. “The important thing is that there is a commitment from the contingent leader based on the president’s directives,” Muhadjir said.

Also read: President Joko Widodo aims for the top 10 and imposes a real estate bonus

In many countries, rewards given to medalists are usually money or goods, but in some countries rewards may take other forms. Like in South Korea. For countries that impose compulsory military service on their citizens, South Korean athletes who win gold at the Asian Games are eligible for an exemption from participating in at least 18 months of compulsory military service. The issue is highly controversial in the country and South Korean athletes have refused to speak to journalists when asked about it.

All South Korean athletes can skip full military service if they win gold at the Asian Games. Tottenham Hotspur football star Son Heung-min was granted an exemption five years ago. Instead of at least 18 months of mandatory military service, he received only three weeks of basic military training.

South Korea is technically still at war with North Korea, so all able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 must complete their mandatory military service. This exception is controversial, particularly for e-sports which debuted as a medal competition at the Asian Games, but is still considered by some to be inappropriate at a major international multi-sport event.

Exceptions are generally granted to elite athletes or classical musicians on the basis of national pride. People receiving these exemptions are also very rare, with fewer than 100 granted for “arts and sports” last year.

As for the athletes themselves, when asked what was most important to them, athletes from the Olympics or Asian Games responded that they were more motivated by higher goals than by simple material rewards . National pride is the most frequently uttered phrase, as Filipino boxer Felix Marcial fights to make his family proud.

“It’s for me, for my wife, for my country and for my father because I wouldn’t be here now without my father,” he told AFP.

However, it cannot be denied that receiving bonuses in money or goods can be life-changing for some athletes, especially those from poor families.

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is an example. He is a world, Olympic and Asian Games champion, but Neeraj’s life has not always been happy. After his success in 2017, and before becoming an icon in India today, Chopra was a young officer in the Indian army.

“My father was a farmer, my mother was a housewife…no one in my family had a government job, so everyone was happy,” Chopra said after joining the Indian Army.

“For me, it’s a relief because now I can help my family financially in addition to continuing my education.” (AFP)