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CAIRO: Tareg Hamedi went from being a hard-working scholar athlete to a nationwide hero and millionaire after touchdown Saudi Arabia’s second-ever Olympic silver medal within the karate competitors in Tokyo three years in the past.<\/p>\n
Olympic medals stay a rarity for athletes from the Arab world however those that do handle to get onto the rostrum can anticipate lavish rewards, from luxurious vehicles to land grants in addition to a wholesome increase to their financial institution balances.<\/p>\n
Even because the sporting world debates the choice by World Athletics to award US$50,000 to trace and discipline gold medallists on the Paris Olympics, athletes from the area might be positive of a lot greater paydays if they’ll snare a title in France.<\/p>\n
In Tokyo, Hamedi missed out on claiming his nation’s first gold medal in controversial circumstances when he knocked out his opponent with an unlawful excessive kick within the last and was disqualified.<\/p>\n
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman informed Hamedi he was a gold medallist in his nation’s eyes and the fighter was rewarded with the total 5 million riyal (US$1.33 million) prize promised to Olympic title winners.<\/p>\n
Providing large monetary incentives to medal winners isn’t unknown elsewhere – Hong Kong fencer Cheung Ka Lengthy banked HK$5 million (US$640,300) for his Tokyo gold – however bestowing honours on champions has a protracted historical past within the Arab world.<\/p>\n
Olympic medallists can anticipate streets, colleges and bridges to be named after them and it’s not simply oil-rich Gulf nations that provide lavish presents and financial rewards.<\/p>\n
In Algeria, it’s customary for the nation’s president to honour Olympic champions with presents starting from luxurious vehicles to flats.<\/p>\n
The winner of a gold medal in Morocco receives 2 million dirhams (US$200,000) whereas Egypt’s Nationwide Olympic Committee, in settlement with sponsors, has raised the worth of a gold medal to five million Egyptian kilos (US$105,220) for Paris.<\/p>\n
The complete Iraqi nationwide soccer workforce that certified for Paris Olympics just lately obtained plots of land and monetary bonuses from the prime minister.<\/p>\n
Qatar has lengthy used monetary incentives to draw athletes from different international locations to compete for the gas-rich state and the rewards for medal success are considered beneficiant, even when they aren’t publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n
Egypt-born weightlifter Fares Ibrahim Hassouna switched allegiance to win Qatar’s first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021 in a transfer that didn’t go down properly with the Egyptian Weightlifting Federation.<\/p>\n
“They splash cash on him simply as soccer golf equipment do on gamers,” federation chief Mahmoud Mahgoub mentioned on the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n