S'pore athletes get no cash incentives for SEA Games silver & bronze

Singaporean athletes delivered a credible performance at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand from Dec. 9 to 20.

They finished with 202 medals in total: 52 gold, 61 silver and 89 bronze medals.

So, how much do Singapore athletes get when they win a medal?

Only SEA Games gold medals get paid

For the SEA Games, only gold medallists get awarded with cash.

This is according to the Major Games Award Programme (MAP) incentive scheme payout to reward medal winners.

Individual sports

Athletes competing in individual events get a payout of S$10,000 for a gold medal.

A second or third individual gold medal at the same SEA Games pays S$5,000 each.

The incentive is capped at three gold medals per SEA Games.

The hard cap for each athlete, therefore, is S$20,000 per SEA Games.

For team events, such as swimming relays, the gold medal nets S$15,000 and is to be shared among the team members.

Team sports

For team sports, such as football, the gold medal brings in S$30,000 to be shared among players.

Silver and bronze: No cash incentives

SEA Games silver and bronze medalists do not receive any cash incentives.

However, there are payouts for gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games.

Giving back

The MAP awards are sponsored by the Tote Board,

It is mandatory for Singapore athletes to give a percentage of their MAP awards to their respective National Sports Associations for future training and development.

It is 20 per cent for the SEA Games and the Asian Games, and 50 per cent of the MAP awards for the Commonwealth Games.

Mothership has reached out to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) for more details.

Top photo via Singapore National Olympic Council