Hualien County Government Raises Sports Bonuses, Top Prize Can Reach NT$300,000

(Central News Agency reporter Chang Chi, Hualien County 17th) Hualien has nurtured many talented athletes. To motivate them, the county government has revised the standards for issuing sports bonuses, increasing the prize money for the top 6 places. For the National Games, the highest level of competition, the first-place prize has been raised from NT$200,000 to NT$300,000, and consecutive win bonuses have also been increased.

The Hualien County Government Education Department stated that by referencing the sports bonus standards of counties and cities nationwide, they plan to raise the incentive payments for the five major national competitions to the top 5 standards nationally.

Under the revised "Hualien County Sports Bonus Establishment Regulations," for the National Games, which has the highest bonuses, the first-place prize for each event has been raised from NT$200,000 to NT$300,000, second place from NT$80,000 to NT$150,000, and third place from NT$40,000 to NT$110,000.

In addition, consecutive win bonuses for various competitions have also been adjusted upwards. Taking the National Games as an example, the consecutive win bonus has been raised from NT$200,000 to NT$300,000, three consecutive wins from NT$400,000 to NT$600,000, four consecutive wins from NT$600,000 to NT$900,000, and five or more consecutive wins will receive an additional bonus of NT$1.2 million.

The Education Department added that in response to adjustments in competition levels, the revised regulations reviewed the highest-level competitions for Taekwondo and Korfball, and added individual events such as dragon boat, fencing, wrestling, kurash, and surfing, increasing the number of incentivized items from 33 to 38. A system for special approval of international competition rewards has also been added.

Education Department Director Weng Shu-min stated that the draft of the revised regulations has completed its public announcement and will be implemented after being passed by the County Council. It will be submitted to the Ministry of Education and the Hualien County Council for reference. Based on past performance estimates, an estimated NT$27 million in bonuses will be disbursed this year, and with more competitions next year, the bonus disbursement is expected to reach NT$60 million.

The Education Department stated that the revised sports bonus establishment regulations can be retroactively applied to April 15, and are also applicable to the ongoing National High School Games in Chiayi. As of today, the Hualien County representative team has accumulated 9 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150417