Show me the money: Countries dangle rewards for Asian Games glory

HANGZHOU, China – Countries desperate for Asian Games success are dangling houses, money, cars and even government jobs as incentives to athletes to bring home medals from Hangzhou.

Competitors in the 19th Asiad, which ends on Sunday, publicly say they are more interested in glory than financial gain.

But medals, especially of the gold variety, often come with a windfall that can change the lives of athletes and their families, especially those who are amateurs rather than professionals in their sport.

India doles out $36,000 for a gold in the Asian Games, a fortune in a country where tens of millions of people live below the poverty line and average annual income is $2,380.

For some Indian competitors, the even bigger prize is a stable salary — Olympic and Asian Games medalists can have a government job if they want one.

Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was promoted to the rank of a senior railway official after her gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018, joining fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.

Singapore's National Olympic Committee awards a $146,000 prize to individual athletes who clinch gold, a hefty sum but barely enough to buy a small flat in the wealthy city-state.

Indonesia will gift a free home for any Asian Games medalist — as long as they provide the land to build it on.

"For those who have land, we will build houses," Indonesia's Asian Games chef de mission Basuki Hadimuljono told local media.

If Kuwaiti gold medalists Abdullah Al-Rashidi and Yaqoub Al-Youha do not already drive, now would be the time to learn.

Because a Kuwaiti businessman has offered to buy a car for those who win gold, with 60-year-old shooter Al-Rashidi set to be gifted a Volvo.

In South Korea, male athletes who win gold at the Games gain exemption from at least 18 months of military service.

It is controversial back home, with one triumphant competitor in Hangzhou declining to talk about it when asked by AFP.

In most countries' cases, the rewards are cash.

But asked what it meant to them, athletes at the Games invariably said they were motivated by higher goals than mere material reward.

National pride is the most usual refrain, while Philippine boxing standout Eumir