What could be better than flashing the titles of World Champion and Olympic Champion for a sportsperson? Well, the answer seems legit: it is money.
Yes, when these dedicated and determined sportspersons bring laurels to their nation, the nation and several other authorities honour them with money and expensive cars.
When our ace shuttler PV Sindhu reached the finals at the Rio Olympics and won our hearts with the silver, the nation was no less jubilant.
PV Sindhu with Olympic silver Indian Times
Upon her return to India, apart from the gleaming Olympic silver medal, she was showered with numerous cash prizes worth Rs. 13 crore!
And it is only recently, the reigning Olympic Champion Carolina Marin of Spain has come to know of Sindhu’s rewards which included luxury cars, brand endorsements and state recognitions.
Carolina Marin NDTV
The Spaniard is in India to play for Hyderabad Hunters at the Badminton Premier League. At an interview event, she was baffled by Sindhu’s rewards and said,
I HEARD SHE GOT MILLIONS. THAT’S HUGE. I, TOO, GOT SOME CASH AWARD FROM THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT. I ACTUALLY ROUGHLY RECEIVED 10-15 PER CENT OF THE MONEY SINDHU GOT, BUT THIS IS A GREAT INDICATOR THAT THE SPORT IS SO POPULAR HERE.
While Sindhu got about Rs. 13 crore, Marin was awarded about Rs. 70 lakh by her country.
Marin added:
BACK IN SPAIN, IT’S ONLY POPULAR IN CERTAIN REGIONS, EVEN THERE THE CRAZE ISN’T THIS BIG. SO THE COUNTRY (INDIA) IS A MODEL OF SORTS FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPORT.
Well, it looks like our star girl has put India on the world badminton map is only going to make us prouder.
