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| For competitive athletes, the cost of training at elite levels requires an enormous financial investment over many years. Of all the athletes who dream of winning an Olympic medal, only a small percentage will find themselves on the podium at the Games. |
| The Singapore National Olympic Council in the 1990s, under the direction of then President Dr. Yeo Ning Hong, devised an incentive scheme to reward medal-winning athletes. The Multi-Million Dollar Awards Programme provides a cash payout to athletes who win gold medals at the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and South East Asian Games. |
| The largest award is $1 million, payable to the athlete who claims a gold medal at the Olympic Games. The smallest is a $10,000 windfall for a gold medalist at the SEA Games. The value of the awards varies with the respective Games, with the Olympic Games providing significantly higher payouts. The awards also vary based on individual versus team events. |
| There are ceilings on the awards. Athletes will be entitled to awards up to a maximum of three individual gold medals won at the SEA Games, up to two individual gold medals won at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and the first gold medal won at the Olympic Games. All awards are presented to the winning athlete, not the national sports association, and are taxable. |
| The Tote Board/Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd is the primary sponsor of the MAP awards. |
| Athletes who break the South East Asian or Asian Games records will be awarded $5,000 and $50,000 respectively. This incentive does not apply to sports with no official records. |
| It is mandatory for all athletes to plough back 20% of the MAP awards to their National Sports Association for future training and development. |
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