Publications
Partners
- The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have ended as Team South Africa dropped down the medal tally at this year's Games when compared to previous editions.
- The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is set to pay SA's Paralympic heroes with over R2.58m.
- Teen star Ntando Mahlangu will pocket more than R1 million for his two golds and world record.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is expected to give South Africa's Tokyo Paralympic heroes over R2 million after their sensational performances.
Last month, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture released the incentives for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic medallists, jointly with their stakeholders National Lottery Commission (NLC) and South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
The incentives, which were only released after Team SA brought home three medals at the Olympics, were upped considerably to what SA medallists received at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics.
This year, the government promised to award all gold medalists at both the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games R450 000 with R100 000 given to their coach.
Silver medal winners will earn R220 000 (R70 000 for the coach), while those bagging bronze will pocket R100 000 (R30 000 for the coach).
An added R180 000 is rewarded for athletes who break the world record in Tokyo with the incentive strictly for athletes and not for coaches.
Having sent a smaller 34-member squad, it was always going to be a tough ask for SA's Paralympian's to match Rio 2016's 17 medals.
South Africa ended 34th on the overall medal table with seven Paralympic medals - four gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
The country tied for their worst-ever Paralympic performance after bringing home seven medals at the 1992 Games in Barcelona.
Teen star Ntando Mahlangu picked up two gold medals in Japan, breaking the world record in the long jump T63 and winning the men's 200m T61.
His two gold medals (R450k each), accompanied by his world record (R180k), will see the 19-year-old take home R1.08m for his second Paralympics.
Mahlangu's coach Neil Cornelius is expected to receive R240 000 for his guidance.
SA's Anrune Weyers did not disappoint in Japan as she stormed to gold in the women's 400m T47 final to win her fifth Paralympic medal and first Paralympic gold.
Weyers' win will see the 28-year-old receive R450 000 with her coach Suzanne Ferreira pocketing R120 000.
Para-cyclist Pieter du Preez was South Africa's other gold medallist as he won the men's H1 time trial. Du Preez will also bag R450 000 for his first Paralympic medal.
Louzanne Coetzee raced to a silver medal in the women's 1500m (T11) and then finished her campaign with a bronze in Sunday's women's marathon (T12).
Coetzee will receive R220 000 for her silver and R100 000 for her bronze.
Meanwhile, Sheryl James finished third in the women's 400m T37 final to win her first Paralympic medal on debut.
James will pocket R100 000 for her bronze medal.
Although para-athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo did not feature on the Paralympic podium this year, he did break a T44 world record (22.81) in the men's 200m T64 heats.
The 27-year-old finished fifth in the final but should receive an incentive of R180 000 for his world record.
The overall Paralympic incentives add up to R2.58 million to the six athletes involved (see breakdown below).
SA Paralympics medal history:
Barcelona 1992 - 7 (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
Atlanta 1996 - 28 (10 gold, 8 silver, 10 bronze)
Sydney 2000 - 38 (13 gold, 12 silver, 13 bronze)
Athens 2004 - 35 (15 gold, 13 silver, 7 bronze)
Beijing 2008 - 30 (21 gold, 3 silver, 6 bronze)
London 2012 - 29 (8 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze)
Rio 2016 - 17 (7 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze)
Tokyo 2020 - 7 (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
SA Tokyo Paralympic incentives:
Ntando Mahlangu - Two gold (R450 000 x 2), WR in long jump (R180 000)
Anrune Weyers - Gold (R450 000)
Pieter du Preez - Gold (450 000)
Louzanne Coetzee - Silver, Bronze (R220 000 and R100 000)
Sheryl James - Bronze (R100 000)
Mpumelelo Mhlongo - [T44] WR in 200m T64 heats (R180 000)
= R2 580 000
