Russia to award Sochi medallists money

Russian athletes winning medals during the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics will be rewarded with prize money, the government said.

The gold medal winners will be awarded with four million rubles ($130,000), the silver medal winners 2.5 million rubles ($76,000) and bronze medalists 1.7 million rubles ($52,000), the government said in a statement published on its official website Saturday, reports Xinhua.

The Russian sports authorities have set a target of reaching top-three on the medal table this time. Ninety-eight gold medals will be contested in 15 sports during the Feb 7-23 Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.