CM DK Shivakumar Felicitates Karnataka Athletes Who Won Medals at Asian Games

Bengaluru: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday felicitated Karnataka athletes who brought laurels to the country and the state at the Asian Games 2026 at Vidhana Soudha. He announced a total cash reward of Rs 8 crore for eight medal-winning athletes.

The Chief Minister also announced several incentive measures for Karnataka athletes who participated in the Asian Games, including those who won medals.

For the first time, the state government has sanctioned a cash incentive of Rs 5 lakh each to 20 Karnataka athletes who qualified for and competed at the Asian Games 2026. Athletes from athletics, badminton, cricket, cycling, equestrian, golf, hockey, shooting, swimming, table tennis and sport climbing will benefit from the scheme.

The Chief Minister also increased the cash rewards for Karnataka athletes winning medals at the Asian Games. Earlier, gold medallists were given Rs 35 lakh, silver medallists Rs 25 lakh and bronze medallists Rs 15 lakh. The revised rewards will be Rs 1 crore for a gold medal, Rs 75 lakh for silver and Rs 50 lakh for bronze.The government has also made provisions for direct recruitment to Group-B posts for medal winners at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The recruitment will be carried out through a selection committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

As part of preparations for the next Olympic Games, Asian Games medallists M.R. Poovamma, Sneha S.S. and Shreyanka Patil, along with Commonwealth Games medallist Shilpa K.S., have been included in the ‘Target Olympics’ scheme for 2026-27. Each of them will receive a cash incentive of Rs 10 lakh for Olympic preparations.The state government has also implemented 2% reservation for accomplished sportspersons in direct recruitment to government posts. The reservation will apply to direct recruitment for Group-A, Group-B, Group-C and Group-D posts. A notification to this effect was issued on October 3, 2026.

The Karnataka medal winners felicitated included Shreyanka R. Patil, who won gold with the women’s cricket team; M.R. Poovamma, who won silver and gold in the 4x400m mixed relay and women’s 4x400m relay respectively; Tilottama Sen, who won silver in the women’s 50m rifle event; Ayush R. Shetty, who won silver in the men’s team badminton event; Sneha S.S., who won bronze in the 4x100m mixed relay; Aditi Ashok, who won silver in the women’s team golf event; Pranavi S. Urs, who won silver in the women’s team golf event and gold in the individual event; and Mohit H.S., who won gold as part of the men’s hockey team.

The 20 Karnataka athletes who participated in the Asian Games and received the Rs 5 lakh incentive each are Yashas Palaksha, Supriya Sindigere Basavaraju, Unnati Ayyappa, M.R. Poovamma, Sneha S.S., Ayush Shetty, Shreyanka R. Patil, Keerthi Rangaswamy, Favad Mirza, Aditi Ashok, Pranavi S. Urs, Mohit H.S., Tilottama Sen, Akash Mani, Srihari Nataraj, Dakshan S., Aneesh Gowda, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sindhushree and Deepu Mallesh.

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Bharath Anjanappa

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Bharath Anjanappa is an experienced journalist specializing in Politics and Civic issues. With over a decade (2012 till date) of writing expertise, he handles or contributes towards Bengaluru sector/area. Bharath Anjanappa has completed his graduation/post-graduation from Bangalore University (with a specialization in Finance, Marketing and HR). When not immersed in writing, he can be found spending time farming. Bharath Anjanappa is an accomplished writer with a passion for writing on current political situation and Civic issues. With 12 years of experience, he has honed his craft in various genres, including entertainment, crime, education and Politics. Bharath's diverse family history and embracing cultures have enriched his writing with unique perspectives.

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