By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena got a cash windfall amounting to more than P10 million on top of other rewards from private sectors in winning a gold medal in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games in China.
Weightlifting queen Hidilyn Diaz reportedly received close to P60 million in cash incentives after becoming the country’s first Olympic gold medal winner in the delayed Tokyo Games held three years ago.
Well, Obiena stands to receive more than that if he would be lucky enough to defy the odds and emerge triumphant in the Paris Olympics.
That’s because the World Athletics announced Wednesday, April 11, that it is offering $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris – a move that is said to be a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Olympics in one of the Games’ most-watched events.
With the development, track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money to the Olympics, with World Athletics setting aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 men’s, women’s and mixed events in the Paris program.
Obiena has been the country’s best bet to win the gold medal in Paris with his current world ranking at No. 2.
But even without World Athletics’ prize purse, the 28-year-old Asian record holder is expected to receive lucrative incentives including from the government should he win the Olympic gold.
According to the Sports Benefits and Incentives Act, an athlete who wins an Olympic gold medal will get P10 million.
After winning the gold medal, Diaz was as busy as a bee receiving cash rewards from government and private sectors – not to mention house and lot offered by Century Properties, Tagaytay City and Zamboanga City, a condominium from Megaworld, beauty products, a van from Foton and many other exciting rewards.
The modern Olympics originated as an amateur sports event and the IOC does not award prize money. However, many medalists receive payments from their countries’ governments, national sports bodies or from sponsors.
Athletes will have to pass “the usual anti-doping procedures” at the Olympics before they receive the new prize money, World Athletics added.
From his high school alma mater alone – Chiang Kai Shek College – Obiena got P3 million.
The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., along with several Chinese businessmen also pledged a total of P7 million plus.
