Jakarta's athletes who secure victory during the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia will receive a collective bonus amounting to Rp 9 billion (US$674,000) from the city administration, an official has stated.

Jakarta Youth and Sports Agency head Ratiyono said the bonuses, which will also be allocated to the coaches, had been set aside in the 2017 revised budget.

“We proposed Rp 9 billion. It is for athletes who get gold, silver and bronze medals and the coaches too. For those who lose, we will still give them smaller amounts of money as they competed for Indonesia,” Ratiyono said Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

However, the details of the amount of money set to be given to each athlete have yet to be revealed. However, athletes who win gold medals are likely to receive around Rp 200 million, similar to the amount given to those who won gold medals at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.

There are 101 athletes from Jakarta competing in the 2017 SEA GAMES.

Besides bonuses, Ratiyono said the athletes would have the chance to continue their studies at the Jakarta State University (UNJ).

“UNJ is ready to receive athletes who win gold medals without any test, especially those who want to major in sports sciences,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat promised that bonuses would be given to athletes and coaches to boost their performance. (wnd)