Billionaire's cash bonus for medal-winning Aussies

2 years ago 284

Australian Olympians that won medals astatine the Tokyo Games are acceptable to beryllium rewarded with a $5,000 bonus for each medal they won, courtesy of billionaire Harry Triguboff.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) revealed connected Thursday that the Meriton Managing Director had made a donation worthy $645,000.

The AOC said Triguboff's donation was an "unsolicited gesture" and "unexpected bonus" that volition further reward 99 Australian athletes that won a full of 129 medals.

For swimmer Emma McKeon - who became Australia's astir decorated Olympian ever aft Tokyo - her 7 medal-haul that included 4 golden volition spot her gain an further $35,000.

"Harry is hugely arrogant of what our squad achieved successful Tokyo, and for him to accidental 'thank you' successful this mode is hugely generous and astir unexpected," AOC President John Coates said successful a statement.

"The donation is per medal, truthful for those Olympians whose efforts were rewarded with aggregate medals, it volition marque coming location to household and friends each the sweeter.

"On behalf of the AOC, and successful peculiar our 99 medals winners, we accidental convey you Harry."

The Financial Review Rich List released earlier this twelvemonth listed Triguboff arsenic Australia's sixth-richest idiosyncratic with the developer amassing a luck of $17.27 billion.

"We are ever palmy astatine the Olympic Games. However, this clip it was particularly important due to the fact that we are adjacent to recession and galore radical person been impacted by the virus," Triguboff said, per the AOC.

"The medallists successful Tokyo made america each precise blessed and we were glued to the tv and were lone reasoning of our athletes during this hard time."

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Australia celebrated a hugely palmy Games, finishing sixth connected the medal tally. It equalled the nation's champion grounds astatine the Olympics with 17 golden medals, 7 silver, and 22 bronze medals (46 full successful competition).

Triguboff's donation comes connected the aforesaid time that Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians who triumph medals astatine the Tokyo Paralympics would beryllium eligible for the aforesaid fiscal rewards arsenic Olympians.

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