Australian Olympians that won medals at the Tokyo Games are set to be rewarded with a $5,000 bonus for each medal they won, courtesy of billionaire Harry Triguboff.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) revealed on Thursday that the Meriton Managing Director had made a donation worth $645,000.
The AOC said Triguboff’s donation was an “unsolicited gesture” and “unexpected bonus” that will further reward 99 Australian athletes that won a total of 129 medals.
For swimmer Emma McKeon – who became Australia’s most decorated Olympian ever after Tokyo – her seven medal-haul that included four gold will see her earn an additional $35,000.
“Harry is hugely proud of what our team achieved in Tokyo, and for him to say ‘thank you’ in this way is hugely generous and most unexpected,” AOC President John Coates said in a statement.
“The donation is per medal, so for those Olympians whose efforts were rewarded with multiple medals, it will make coming home to family and friends all the sweeter.
“On behalf of the AOC, and in particular our 99 medals winners, we say thank you Harry.”
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The Financial Review Rich List released earlier this year listed Triguboff as Australia’s sixth-richest person with the developer amassing a fortune of $17.27 billion.
“We are always successful at the Olympic Games. However, this time it was especially important because we are close to recession and many people have been impacted by the virus,” Triguboff said, per the AOC.
“The medallists in Tokyo made us all very happy and we were glued to the television and were only thinking of our athletes during this difficult time.”
Australia celebrated a hugely successful Games, finishing sixth on the medal tally. It equalled the nation’s best record at the Olympics with 17 gold medals, seven silver, and 22 bronze medals (46 total in competition).
Triguboff’s donation comes on the same day that Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australians who win medals at the Tokyo Paralympics would be eligible for the same financial rewards as Olympians.
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