The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) spent Rs 4 crore in giving cash awards to India's Tokyo Olympics medallists earlier this year, a report said. During its recent Apex Council meeting, the Indian cricket board revealed its expenditure on other stuff besides cricket to its members. As per the BCCI document, the board donated Rs 10 crore to the Indian Olympic Association to support the country's athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games, a Times of India report said.
Earlier, late in March, the Indian cricket board felicitated Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and members of the bronze-medal-winning Indian men's hockey team before the IPL's opening match.
Javelin thrower Chopra was awarded Rs 1 crore while the hockey team was given Rs 1.25 crore in total. Boxer Lovlina Borgohain was awarded Rs 25 lakh. Apart from them, Rs 50 lakh each was also awarded to the two silver medallists -- weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestler Ravi Dahiya. In line with Borgohain, the other bronze medallists -- shuttler PV Sindhu and wrestler Bajrang Punia -- were given Rs 25 lakh each.
The BCCI spent Rs 5 crore on PM Care Mementos for Olympics participants. Close to ? 9.5 crore were also spent on 'Support to Indian Contingent for Tokyo Olympics' and its sub-categories.
The report further said that BCCI also donated Rs 3.8 cr to buy Oxygen Concentrators during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. Notably, on May 24, 2021, the BCCI had announced that it would contribute 2000 Oxygen concentrators (10-Litre capacity) to boost India's efforts in overcoming the deadly virus.
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"The nation has been hit by an unprecedented second wave of the coronavirus with demands for medical equipment and life-saving oxygen witnessing a major spike. Over the next few months, the Board will distribute the concentrators across India with the hope that critical medical aid and care will be provided to the needy patients and this initiative will reduce the havoc unleashed by the pandemic," the BCCI had said in a statement at that time.