REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Medal-winning Indonesian athletes at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, will also take home large cash prizes, the Indonesian government announced here on Wednesday.

The government has approved to hand over a bonus cash prize of Rp5 billion for each gold medal won at the game. Each silver medal winner will receive Rp2 billion, and for each bronze medal, the athletes will get Rp1 billion.

"We have set aside the prize money, but we do not want our athletes to focus on it. What is important is that their strong determination helps them push their boundaries and achieve historical milestones in their lives," Minister of Youth and Sports Imam Nahrawi stated here at the Presidential Palace at a send-off ceremony organized for the Indonesian Olympic contingent.

Moreover, Olympics medalists will be given monthly lifetime allowance starting from Rp20 million for gold medalists, Rp15 million for silver medalists, and Rp10 million for bronze medalists.

"This is a new page in history," Nahrawi noted while speaking on the allowance to be given to Olympic medalists.

Since Indonesia first took part in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, it has bagged 27 Olympic medals in the last 64 years it has participated in the sporting event.

Indonesia won its first ever medal, a silver, in the archery event at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.

Due to limited budget, the minister hoped that in future, Indonesian medalists from the ASEAN Games, SEA Games, and the national sports week will get bonus prizes similar to those being offered for the Olympic winners.

Earlier, this morning, President Joko Widodo held a send-off ceremony at the Merdeka Palace for the Indonesian contingent for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

On the occasion, President Jokowi handed over a red-and-white flag to Minister Nahrawi, who will later pass it on to Raja Sapta Oktohari, chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Contingent to the Rio 2016.

The head of state also advised the athletes to be passionate about delivering their best performance for Indonesia on the world stage.

The 2016 Summer Olympics, commonly known as Rio 2016, is a highly anticipated international multi-sport event, and the enthusiasm among sports fanatics is rising by the day and will reach its peak on August 5, 2016.

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