Olympic Medalists Receive Heroes' Welcome, and Billions in Bonuses

"Each of you [pointing to Tontowi and Liliyana] will get Rp 5 billion [$380,000], tax-free," Imam said.

He aid the Sports Ministry will create a funding platform to support talented athletes and help them win more medals in international meets.

"The Sports Ministry always struggles to get funding, but we make sure we appreciate every athlete," he said.

Gold medalist Liliyana said she was touched by the public reception of her and Tontowi.

"I thank the fans, the badminton federation PBSI, my club Djarum and my family who always supports me," she said.

Pension Fund for Olympic Medalists

There was also good news for past Olympic medalists. Many former athletes, even those who had won Olympic medals, end up living in abject poverty after retirement. So this year, the sports minister announced a lifetime pension fund for Indonesian athletes who have won medals at the Olympics.

The pension fund has been available since March this year and offers Rp 20 million per month each for athletes who won gold at the Olympics, Rp 15 million for silver medalists and Rp 10 million for bronze medalists.

Previous Olympic medalists who qualify for the pension include legendary badminton players Susi Susanti and Alan Budikusuma, who won gold in the men's and women's singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

"President Jokowi told me we need to take good care of our athletes, especially these Olympic medalists," Imam said.

Responding to the ministry's claim that it often lacks the funds to pay for its own programs, House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin said the Sports Ministry should set up a state-owned enterprise for sports or an athletes' development foundation so they can offer bonuses for high-performance athletes.

"The ministry should create its own budget for that," Ade said.

The Olympic athletes will join a victory parade on Wednesday from the Sports Ministry's offices to the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta, where they will attend a state reception with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Source: Olympic Medalists Receive Heroes' Welcome, and Billions in Bonuses