SEA Games winners get cash bonuses

SEA Games winners get cash bonuses

Athletes pose with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the ceremony.
Athletes pose with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the ceremony.

The government paid the country's SEA Games medallists more than 224 million baht in financial rewards on Thursday.

Thailand finished third overall, taking home 92 gold, 103 silver and 123 bronze medals at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines in December last year.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over a welcome party for the Thai contingent at Government House yesterday.

Under the government's National Sports Development Fund's bonus scheme for SEA Games athletes, a champion received 300,000 baht, a silver winner 150,000 baht and a bronze medallist 75,000 baht. Coaches and associations of the successful athletes also received separate bonuses.

The Athletics Association of Thailand and its athletes and officials took home the biggest sum of 18,225,000 baht.

They won 12 gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze medals in the Philippines.

Volleyball (indoor and beach) players who won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals received 10,050,000 baht.

The Thai Cycling Association and its athletes, who came home with six gold, one silver and four bronze medals, received more than six million baht.

The Football Association of Thailand, who received the biggest sum at the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, received only 4.2 million baht after a disappointing campaign in the Philippines.

The women's team took the silver medal after losing to Vietnam in the final while the men's team were knocked out in the group stage.

The Thais failed to win back the overall crown and missed their target of bringing home 121 golds.

Several days before the end of the tournament, they threw in the towel in the overall title race and lowered their gold medal target to 100, but still failed to reach the century mark by a good eight gold medals.

The Philippines claimed the overall crown with a record 149 gold medals. Vietnam were second with 98 gold.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT