A bonus of Rp3 billion will only truly matter once a medal has been\nsecured. Before that moment arrives, athletes need only focus on one\nthing: competing to the best of their ability for the Red and White.<\/p>\n
Jakarta (ANTARA) - There is one figure that will perhaps be easiest\nfor Indonesian athletes to remember after President Prabowo Subianto\nsent off the Indonesian Contingent to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games\nat the State Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (9\/9): Rp3 billion.<\/p>\n
This is the value of the bonus promised by the government to every\nathlete who successfully brings home a gold medal from this year\u2019s Asian\nGames.<\/p>\n
In front of hundreds of athletes departing for Japan, the President\nmentioned this figure while simultaneously comparing it to the SEA Games\ngold bonus, which is set at Rp1 billion.<\/p>\n
This comparison makes the discussion about bonuses more than just\nabout the nominal amount. There is a message regarding how the state\npositions these two competitions within the hierarchy of sporting events\nin which Indonesia participates. The Asian Games bring together sporting\npowers from across all of Asia, whereas the SEA Games are limited to the\nscope of Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Twelve years ago, when Indonesia competed in the Incheon 2014 Asian\nGames, an individual gold medallist received a bonus of Rp400 million.\nThat figure might have seemed large at the time, but compared to the\nrewards prepared for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the value now looks\nvastly different.<\/p>\n
Four years later, the bonus increased sharply. When Indonesia hosted\nthe 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, the government provided\nRp1.5 billion to individual gold medallists. For doubles events, the\nbonus was Rp1 billion, while team gold medallists received Rp750 million\nper athlete. The tax on these bonuses was also covered by the state.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, the individual gold\nbonus rose again, this time to Rp1.575 billion. And now, the figure has\nreached Rp3 billion.<\/p>\n
Behind these figures lies a shift in how the state rewards athletes.\nMedals brought home are no longer merely a source of pride during\nwelcoming ceremonies; there is a material value that continues to be\nincreased alongside them.<\/p>\n
However, there is another part of President Prabowo\u2019s message that\nmight not be as prominent in the headlines as the Rp3 billion figure,\nbut instead touches the lives of athletes after the competition ends.\nSilver and bronze medallists will also receive attention. The same\napplies to coaches. For athletes and coaches who are members of the TNI\n(National Armed Forces) or Polri (National Police), this attention\nincludes accelerated career progression and promotions.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fly-the-red-and-white-first-the-rp3-billion-can-wait-1789125429", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }