FILE PHOTO: Wrestling - WWE Crown Jewel 2021 - Mohammed Abdu Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - October 21, 2021 Olympic silver medalist Tareg Hamedi joins Mansoor during his fight against Mustafa Ali REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri/File PhotoCAIRO : Tareg Hamedi went from being a hard-working student athlete to a national hero and millionaire after landing Saudi Arabia's second ever Olympic silver medal in the karate competition in Tokyo three years ago.
In Tokyo, Hamedi missed out on claiming his country's first gold medal in controversial circumstances when he knocked out his opponent with an illegal high kick in the final and was disqualified. Olympic medallists can expect streets, schools and bridges to be named after them and it is not just oil-rich Gulf nations that offer lavish gifts and monetary rewards.
The entire Iraqi national football team that qualified for Paris Olympics recently received plots of land and financial bonuses from the prime minister.