BCCI announce financial assistance for Indian Olympic athletes

On July 21 (Sunday), Jay Shah, Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) announced financial assistance of INR 8.7 crore for Paris-bound athletes that will represent India at the 2024 Olympics. 

From the BCCI’s coffers, the money will go directly to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the body taking care of all expenses of the Indian representatives at the global event starting July 26. 

Shah informed about this decision of the cricket governing body through a post on social media platform X. 

Earlier, the BCCI had given INR 4 crore of cash reward to medal winners from the Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 due to Covid-19) Olympics. 

Cricket, which is scheduled to make its Olympic debut in the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, will not be part of the Paris 2024. However, the BCCI wanted to show support towards other sports that the Indian athletes will take part in in the Paris Olympics through this financial gesture. 

A total of 117 athletes comprising 66 male and 46 male members of the India contingent will vie for medals across 16 sporting disciplines. Though the opening ceremony of the Paris games will be held on July 26, India will begin their campaign on July 25 with the ranking rounds of Archery at The Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. 

BCCI, known for their huge prize money announcements, made one after the senior men’s cricket team ended the country’s 11-year-old drought for an ICC trophy by lifting the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on June 29. They awarded the team INR 125 crore.

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