South Korea announced Friday it will give a record amount of prize money to medalists at the Summer Olympic Games this year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said it will give a 6.9 billion won bonus to medal winners at the 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The ministry said 3.66 billion won will be given to medalists in the Olympic Games, while 3.18 billion won will be rewarded to medal collectors in the Paralympic Games.
Four years ago in London, where South Korea had its best Olympic finish at fifth and 12th in the Paralympics, the government gave 5.6 billion won to medalists and their coaches.
Gold medalists in Rio will each receive 60 million won. A silver medalist can get 30 million won and a bronze medalist will be given 18 million won. Coaches will receive 80 million won for gold, 40 million won for silver and 24 million won for bronze.
The ministry said that these monetary rewards can be adjusted after the Rio Games, depending on South Korea's overall performance and the number of medals won. South Korea will spend 27.2 billion won to support their athletes preparing for the Games in Rio.
Eyeing its fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the Summer Olympics, South Korea will also send a group of sports scientists to help athletes' performance and prevent injuries. Ten chefs will also travel to the Rio Games to provide Korean meals.
The sports ministry will cooperate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor Korean athletes' health conditions and help prevent Zika virus infections. (Yonhap)
Korea's major crypto exchange Bithumb hacked; coins worth $32 million stolen 
Multicultural children still face discrimination at schools 
China's influence on North Korea grows 
Happy ever after: Celebs lead trend of marriage to foreigners 
Yemenis find hope and despair in Jeju 
US leaves UN Human Rights Council 
KFC Korea hit for 'free-riding' on World Cup fever 
Korea's oldest pagoda unveiled after 20 yrs of restoration 
North Korea to return war dead remains to US 'very soon' 
4 in 10 marriage immigrants suffer domestic violence 
.jpg)
.jpg)