Two days earlier, Singapore swimmer, Joseph Schooling , like Van Niekerk, delivered his country’s first-ever Olympic gold and his national Olympic council rewarded him with a million Singapore dollars, which equates to a fraction under R10 million. 

Simple mathematics suggests that the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) will pay out about 25 times more than the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

Most countries have cash rewards for medalists and it appears that Singapore’s bonus is far and away the biggest.

There are countries, however, like Great Britain who do not award their medallists with money.

In declaring these awards, it appears that the various governing bodies do not reward greatness beyond winning. For example, Van Niekerk’s world record-breaking time does not translate to additional reward. Schooling smashed the Olympic record but that too did not add to his windfall.

Strangely, the United States are way down the list for highest rewards for Olympic medallists as they offer a $25 000 (R332 561) bonus per gold.

Also, in the pound seats will be Van Niekerk’s 74-year-old coach, Ans Botha, who in line with Sascoc’s incentive scheme will boost her bank balance by R100 000. 

ANA