Cape Town - The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has announced an incentive programme designed to incentivise athletes to medal at the Rio Olympics.
SASCOC will award all gold medalists at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games R500 000.
Of that, R400 000 will go to the athlete and the remaining R100 000 to the coach.
Silver medal winners will earn R200 000 (R50 000) for the coach, while those bagging bronze will pocket R80 000 (R20 000 for the coach).
This principle was established with the understanding that the coach plays an important role in coaching and mentoring the athlete.
In the case a medal is won in a team event or by a relay team which counts as one medal, the incentive amount will remain the same, meaning the R400 000 for a gold medal will be shared equally among the winning team.
The Rio Olympics will run from August 5-21.