TAICHUNG (TVBS News) — Taichung City Mayor Lu Shiow-yen upped the ante for Asian Games medalists on Monday (Sept. 25), increasing the gold medal bonus from NT＄150,000 to a whopping NT＄1 million.
Silver and bronze medalists will now receive NT＄500,000 and NT＄300,000, respectively. This tops rewards among all other counties and cities.
Every athlete competing in the Asian Games will also now receive a participation bonus of NT＄25,000.
The announcement comes as Yang Yung-wei clinched a judo gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games a day earlier, marking Team Taiwan's (Team Chinese Taipei) 100th gold at the Asian Games.
Amid the excitement, Lu took to Facebook to commend Yang, describing him as the pride of Taichung City. She also shared a photo posing with the victorious athlete.
The robust rewards aim to honor the athletes' stellar performances and spur further development and competition in the international sporting arena. By raising the stakes, Taiwan expects to see a surge in the country's sports prowess.
