COLOMBO : On a proposal made by the Minister of Sports and Youth Namal Rajapaksa, at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers it was decided to award cash prizes to the two Sri Lankan athletes who clinched a Gold and a Bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Department of Government Information said in a press release.
Dinesh Priyantha Herath, who set a new world record in the Men’s Javelin Throw – F46 – event with a distance of 67.79 meters, made history by winning Sri Lanka’s first ever gold medal at the Paralympic Games.
Meanwhile, Samitha Dulan Kodituwakku claimed a bronze medal in the Men’s Javelin Throw – F46 – event. He took the third place with a personal best of 65.61 meters.
The Cabinet has also given the approval to award cash prizes to the two coaches of the two medalists, according to the Government Information Department.
A total of Rs. 106.625 million has been allocated as prize money for the athletes who participated in the Paralympic Games 2020.
Meanwhile, Rs. 19.125 million has been allocated for the coaches of the Paralympians.
The Sports Ministry said the prize money for the World Record and an additional Rs. 1 million for the bronze medal has been sponsored by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The Prize money allocated by the Sports Ministry is as follows:
Gold – Rs. 50M
Bronze – Rs. 20M
4th – 8th place – Rs. 2.5M
9th – 16th Place – Rs. 1M (x4)
World Record – Rs. 10M
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Automobile Association in Japan (SLAAJ) has presented two motor vehicles to Dinesh Priyantha Herath and Samith Dulan Kodithuwakku.
The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan Sanjeev Gunasekara was present on the occasion.