Andhra Pradesh is pushing to strengthen sports in the state with new incentives for medalists and Olympians. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has vowed to make the state’s sports policy the best in the country. During a review meeting at the State Secretariat, he stressed the importance of providing adequate incentives to motivate athletes and ensure that they receive the recognition they deserve.

To boost support for Olympic medalists, the state government plans to significantly increase cash rewards. Gold medalists will now receive Rs 7 crore, up from Rs 75 lakh, while silver medalists will receive Rs crore instead of Rs 50 lakh, and bronze medalists will receive Rs 3 crore, an increase from Rs 30 lakh. Additionally, Olympics participants will receive a cash incentive of Rs 50 lakh each.

The chief minister also outlined plans to increase rewards for Asian Games athletes, with gold medalists getting Rs 4 crore, silver medalists Rs 2 crore and bronze medalists Rs 1 crore. Asian Games participants will get Rs 10 lakh each as incentive. Naidu encouraged greater participation in popular sports leagues and stressed the importance of supporting all forms of sports.

In addition, the meeting decided to increase the employment quota in sports from 2 to 3 percent. The new sports policy focuses on four key objectives: sport for all, talent development, the sports ecosystem and global visibility. Necessary amendments to the sports policy will be presented to the Cabinet for approval, he said.