Australian swimmers at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will receive cash bonuses of up to A$50,000 (£26,000) for individual gold medals set in world record times, funded by mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, the nation's richest person.
Under the incentive scheme, individual gold medallists will earn A$20,000 (£10,500), silver medallists A$15,000 (£7,880) and bronze medallists A$10,000 (£5,250). Relay swimmers will receive between A$2,500 (£1,312) and A$5,000 (£2,625) for podium finishes, with an additional A$30,000 (£15,750) bonus for any world record.
Rinehart, whose company Hancock Prospecting has long supported Australian swimming, said the bonuses were a way of thanking athletes for bringing pride to the country. “There is something very uplifting about seeing an Australian athlete stand on the podium while our flag is raised,” she said in a statement.
With Australia as the dominant swimming nation in the Commonwealth, several top athletes are expected to benefit. Olympic gold medallist Mollie O'Callaghan is a strong contender in the 100m and 200m freestyle, while world champion Cameron McEvoy, who lamented earning nothing for his 50m freestyle world record earlier this year, is favourite to win his first individual Commonwealth title in Glasgow.
Cash prizes are rare in swimming; World Aquatics paid $4.38m (£3.29m) in prize money last year, including $20,000 (£15,000) for world championship golds. The drug-friendly Enhanced Games has offered million-dollar bonuses for world records.
