Category: News
Himachal Pradesh has sharply raised the cash awards for its athletes who win medals at the Asian Games and Para Asian Games. A gold medal will now fetch ₹4 crore, up from ₹50 lakh — an eight-fold increase.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced the hike at the Him Ratna-2026 awards ceremony in Shimla on 31 October 2026, where he honoured 419 sportspersons and presented cheques worth ₹17.85 crore.
The new prize structure
| Medal | Asian Games and Para Asian Games | Before |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | ₹4 crore | ₹50 lakh |
| Silver | ₹2.50 crore | ₹30 lakh |
| Bronze | ₹1.50 crore | ₹20 lakh |
The revised awards cover both the Asian Games and the Para Asian Games, placing para-athletes on an equal footing with other athletes.
Olympic, Winter Olympic and Paralympic medal winners also get a hike: gold from ₹3 crore to ₹5 crore, silver from ₹2 crore to ₹3 crore, and bronze from ₹1 crore to ₹2 crore.
Team events and coaches
Every player who wins a medal in a team event will receive at least 25% of the total award money. National-level coaches and international referees will be recognised with incentives of ₹3 lakh each.
Who has already benefited
At the same ceremony, athlete Sawan Barwal received a cheque of ₹2.50 crore for winning a silver medal in the men’s marathon at the Asian Games 2026, held in Japan. Seema Kumari received ₹1.50 crore for winning a bronze medal in the 10,000-metre race.
Of the ₹17.85 crore distributed at the ceremony, ₹13.55 crore went to 51 international-level athletes and ₹4.30 crore to 368 national-level players.
Part of a bigger sports push
The prize hike is part of a wider push for sport in the state. The Chief Minister also launched the Khelo Himachal campaign, which begins in Dharamshala on 20 November 2026, with cricket, volleyball and kabaddi for youth aged 15 to 30. The campaign’s website and mascot were launched at the same ceremony.
India won a record 114 medals at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, finishing fourth — a performance the new prize structure is meant to build on.
Sources: Himachal Pradesh Government press release, 31 October 2026 (himachalpr.gov.in); ANI via New Kerala, 31 October 2026; Nation Press, 2 November 2026.
