Tokyo 2020: HK$10 million offered for Hong Kong team gold at Olympic Games
- Track cyclist Sarah Lee could collect HK$5 million for individual gold
- Officials promise biggest ever financial incentives to Olympic medal hopefuls
A HK$10 million incentive is on offer for a team gold medal at this year’s Tokyo Olympic, more than double the cash carrot at the Games in Rio four years ago.
In individual events, a gold medal winner will bank HK$5 million, a big increase from the HK$3 million incentive at the 2016 Olympics. A team gold in Rio was worth HK$4.2 million, but Hong Kong returned empty-handed.
There is no shortage of individual medal hopefuls for Tokyo this summer. Track cyclist Sarah Lee Wai-sze, fencer Vivian Kong Man-wai, swimmer Siobhan Haughey and karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung are all capable of challenging for the podium.
In team events, table tennis mixed doubles pair Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem, who have already booked their places to Tokyo, are also favoured.
Incentives for a silver medal will be half the amount for gold – HK$5 million for team and HK$2.5 million for individual – while bronze medallists will get half of the incentive for silver.
Hong Kong Olympic Committee deputy secretary general Wong Po-kee said the incentives for the Tokyo Games (July 24-August 9) would be the highest ever, thanks to a major commercial sponsor.
