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Sophie Chew

For most athletes, winning an Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle of sport, the fulfilment of a life goal.
What else could you possibly be offered by way of incentive? Well, quite a lot it seems.
As well as the as the ambition for glory and the financial incentive, there have been more creative rewards dangled in front of participants.
And here are some of the most memorable.

1 – Free flights and lifetime rail pass
After a record seven-medal haul at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, three local airlines announced that, to celebrate their victories, Indian athletes would fly for free.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo said it would sponsor a year’s worth of free flights for javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who took home the country’s sole gold medal.
Go First offered all medallists free tickets until 2025 but, unfortunately, the company went bankrupt and folded in May 2023.
Never mind, because Star Air, another domestic carrier, extended the most generous offer of all: free lifetime travel on its routes.
As for the gold medallist at the Beijing Games, Abhinav Bindra got a free lifetime railway pass instead. The champion once said he did not like plane travel after he won the men’s 10m air rifle event in 2008.
Bindra created history by earning India’s first individual Olympic gold in Beijing. After the game, the country’s railway minister Lalu Prasad announced a free lifetime pass for travel by air-conditioned first class for the shooter, including some premium carriages providing free food and snacks.












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A post shared by Teh Tarik Place (@tehtarikplace)



2 – Free tea and food
Of Malaysia’s full contingent of 30 athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, two came home with medals.
But the entire group still scored a lifetime’s supply of free teh tarik – a hot and frothy sweetened tea – and food from a local restaurant chain.
The company, Teh Tarik Place, said it made the gesture as a show of appreciation for the athletes amid public criticism over their performance.
“The backlash the athletes received has been disappointing. We want to make a statement to our athletes, that despite the naysayers, we acknowledge the sacrifice, dedication and athleticism put forth during the Olympics,” Tunku Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar, the executive chairman of the restaurant’s parent company, said in a statement.
3 – A lot of rice
For Japanese table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa, the reward after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was a team silver medal and six tonnes of rice.
As a member of the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations table tennis club and its contracted spokesperson, Ishikawa received 100 bags of white rice, weighing 60kg each, from the federation.
The amount was enough for her to eat for at least a hundred years, as on average the annual rice consumption was less than 50kg per person in Japan.
The federation also awarded the player a “free roasted meat all-you-can-eat” qualification, which allowed her to have free meals at any roast meat shop under the federation all over Japan before the end of March 2022.
Ishikawa has been active in promoting Japan-grown agricultural and livestock products. When she announced her retirement in May 2023, she expressed gratitude for farmers nationwide who supported her with delicious food.

4 – Furniture, flights, public transport
Next time you find yourself riding on the MTR, keep an eye out Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey, who can take any public transport in Hong Kong for free.
That was one of the rewards offered by the Hong Kong government after the pair became the city’s first gold and silver medallists respectively at the Tokyo Olympics – on top of a HK$5 million cash bonus.












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A post shared by MTR (@mtrhk)



Furthermore, in a Facebook post, furniture retailer Pricerite said it would gift the “sword god” free furniture for his future home, while Cathay Pacific, the city’s flag air carrier, said Cheung and swimmer Haughey, who won two silvers in Tokyo, would enjoy unlimited business class flights for a year.
The city’s MTR also confirmed all the athletes in the city’s Olympic contingent would get a free one-year travel pass.

5 – Free houses and fuel
Philippines weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz became a national hero when she won the women’s 55kg category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making her the Philippines’ first Olympic champion, and had more or less of her basic necessities covered for life.
First off, she earned heaps of rewards from the public and private sector. In addition to more than PHP40m (HK$5.5m) in cash bonuses from the government and several individual donors, Diaz got a two-storey home from the Philippine Olympic Committee, a condominium unit from property giant Megaworld, and another house-and-lot package from developer PHirst Park Homes.
Then energy company Phoenix Petroleum, which had sponsored Diaz during her training, saw their opportunity and took it as they awarded her free fuel for life in the hope, the firm said, her feat would “fuel inspiration” for other athletes.

6 – Military service exemption
While not a prize in the traditional sense, this is definitely a reward a lot of athletes taking part would welcome.
South Korean law requires all able-bodied men to enlist for 18 months of military service, which must start before they turn 28.
While temporary deferment is possible, a full waiver is rare: famously, even international pop stars such as Rain and members of boy band BTS were given no exemptions from the draft. Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games, or any medal at the Olympics, is one of the few grounds under which conscription can be avoided altogether – though it remains highly controversial.
High-profile athletes who have obtained a waiver include footballer Lee Kang-in, who plays for French champions Paris Saint-Germain, and English Premier League star Son Heung-min, both of whom received their exemptions for winning gold medals at the Asian Games.


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Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa with bags of rice. Photo: Instagram/kasumi.ishikawa_official

India’s Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra did not have to pay for flights with IndiGo as a reward for his success. Photo: EPA

Hong Kong duo fencer Cheung Ka-long (left) and swimmer Siobhan Haughey won Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020: Yik Yeung-man

Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz had more than just a gold medal to celebrate after her Tokyo 2020 triumph. Photo: Reuters

Military service in South Korea is compulsory, but an Olympic triumph has been known to be worth an exemption. Photo: AFP

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China’s Qin Haiyang is looking to claim two gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games. Photo: AP

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As well as the legacy and fame that comes with victory, there are often financial incentives on offer for the athletes


As well as the legacy and fame that comes with victory, there are often financial incentives on offer for the athletes.
