Belgium's Olympic and Paralympic medallists to receive equal prize money for first time
For the first time, Belgium’s Olympic and Paralympic medal winners at the 2024 Paris Games will receive equal prize money, the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee said on Tuesday.
“This step is another milestone in the development of the Paralympic movement and will undoubtedly motivate our athletes even more in their fight for medals in Paris,” said Marc Vergauwen, president of the Belgian Paralympic Committee (BPC).
Individual gold, silver and bronze medals will be worth 50,000, 30,000 and 20,000 euros. For fourth place, athletes win 10,000 euros, with fifth to eighth place worth 5,000 euros. For team events, the premiums per athlete are 25 per cent of the individual bonus. Coaches receive a bonus worth 25 per cent of the athlete’s premium.
"We hope these Games will be historic on a sporting level, but will also contribute to a more inclusive society"
Paralympic athletes and coaches will now receive the same amounts. At the Tokyo Games in 2021, the bonuses were 15,000, 10,000 and 7,500 euros for gold, silver and bronze, with coaches receiving a bonus worth 10 per cent of that amount. The premiums are funded by the National Lottery.
After consulting its athletes’ committee, the BPC will adapt the rules to take into account the context of Paralympic sport in Belgium. It will only award premiums for medals, not for top eight places, and in the event of one athlete winning multiple medals, it will only award a premium for the highest medal achieved.
“We hope these Games will be historic on a sporting level, but will also contribute to a more inclusive society,” Vergauwen said.
Belgian Paralympic and Olympic athletes and staff at a training camp in Turkey, November 2022 © BELGA PHOTO LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ
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