At a function here on Saturday, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) honoured the medalists from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and presented them with cash awards.

The gold medalists received Rs 20 lakh each, while the silver and bronze medalists received Rs 10 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh, respectively.

Among those in attendance were IOA acting president Anil Khanna, secretary general Rajeev Mehta, treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey, and India’s chef de mission for the Birmingham Games, Rajeev Mehta.

During the ceremony, the IOA secretary general congratulated Indian athletes, who finished fourth in the standings with 61 medals (22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze).

“I take this opportunity to congratulate all our medallists for bringing glory to India with a combined haul of 61 medals, despite shooting, one of our top medal-yielding sports, not being part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games,” said Mehta.

“I would also like to thank all the coaches and support staff members for the hard work they put in behind the scenes to prepare our athletes for these Games, and the IOA is delighted to see their hard work come to fruition,” he added.

Meanwhile, both the IOA’s acting president and secretary general reiterated their support for including shooting and wrestling in the final sports programme of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in the Australian state of Victoria.

“I have already written to (the national federations of) wrestling as well as shooting. Shooting has already confirmed that the international federation is already following up the matter with the CWG. The wrestling federation had already been informed [that] the president of the CWG has already taken up the matter. By 30th September, a view will be taken,” said Khanna.

The IOA officials also addressed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recent concerns about the IOA’s internal affairs.

Prior to the event, the officials met with the Indian women’s cricket team, which included Commonwealth Games debutants and Birmingham 2022 silver medalists. Members of the cricketing touring party who interacted with IOA officials included captain Harmanpreet Kaur, coach Ramesh Powar, and manager Maroof Fajandar.

(Inputs from IANS)