Brief
Karnataka raises cash rewards for Asian Games medalists
The state will pay up to Rs 1 crore for gold medals and introduce a Rs 5 lakh stipend for every athlete who qualified.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Bengaluru, 7 Oct 2026 – Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar felicitated the state’s athletes who competed at the Asian Games and announced higher cash incentives, new preparation grants and recruitment benefits, New Indian Express reported.
The government will award Rs 1 crore to each gold‑medal winner, Rs 75 lakh for silver and Rs 50 lakh for bronze, totaling Rs 8 crore for eight medalists. For the first time, 20 Karnataka athletes who qualified for the Games will receive Rs 5 lakh each, regardless of medal outcome.
Additional grants of Rs 10 lakh each are earmarked for Olympic preparation for medalists MR Poovamma, Sneha SS and Shreyanka R Patil, as well as Commonwealth Games medallist Shilpa KS, under the Target Olympics scheme for 2026‑27.
Medal winners will also be eligible for direct recruitment to Group‑B posts, with a 2 % reservation for achievers across Group‑A to D posts.
Key facts
- Karnataka will pay Rs 1 crore for gold, Rs 75 lakh for silver and Rs 50 lakh for bronze Asian Games medals (newindianexpress.com)
- Twenty qualifying athletes will receive Rs 5 lakh each, irrespective of medals (newindianexpress.com)
- Rs 10 lakh Olympic‑preparation grants will go to MR Poovamma, Sneha SS, Shreyanka R Patil and Shilpa KS (newindianexpress.com)
Sources
- [1] newindianexpress.com — originally reported as “Karnataka hikes cash reward for Asian Games champs”
