By Baek Byung-yeul
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is gearing up its support for athletes who will compete at this year’s Rio Olympics, including the highest-ever monetary incentive for medalists.
Korean gold medalists will receive 60 million won ($48,480), silver medalists 30 million won and bronze winners 1.8 million won, the ministry said Friday.
It will provide a total of 27.2 billion won ($22 million) for the Korean delegation to the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The prize money, which will be provided by a national subsidies program, accounts for about 6.9 billion won -- 3.67 billion won for the Olympics and 3.18 billion won for the Paralympics. This is up 122 percent from the amount provided to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics athletes. The ministry said the prize money is “to help motivate the delegation and to reward them for their outstanding performances.”
With government support, the ministry expects the Korean delegation to be ranked in the top 10 countries of the Summer Games and the Paralympics.
Because of the 20-hour flying time to Brazil and the 12-hour time lag, temporary training camps for athletes will be set up in the United States and European countries, which are about halfway between Korea and Rio de Janeiro. To help athletes participating in the Paralympics adjust to overseas travel, there will be a training camp in Atlanta, in the U.S.
The ministry said the Korean Olympians will be able to enjoy Korean food because it will send 10 chefs to Korea House, a temporary shelter for the Korean delegation 10 to 15 minutes from the athletes’ village.
With the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil, the ministry will send four doctors and two nurses, including one virus expert, to ensure the health of the Korean athletes. All 580 members of the Korean delegation to the Olympics and Paralympics will receive vaccinations against yellow fever, hepatitis A, typhoid and malaria.