OLYMPICS 2024 | All the news and action

— World Athletics will reward Olympic gold medallists in Paris with $50,000 (about R950,000) each.

— The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) is offering bonuses of R400,000 to gold medallists, which would push the pot to R1.35m.

— Silver is worth only the R200,000 being offered by Sascoc, less than the R297,000 for third place at the Comrades.

— Olympic bronze is worth R75,000, lower than the R115,000 for the fifth-placed finishers today.

— The most Olympic medals won by a South African - Chad Le Clos, who has a gold and three silvers. He won the 200m butterfly gold and 100m fly silver at London 2012, and four years later took silver in both the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Tatjana Smith will join him if she makes the podium in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke races.

— The most Olympic gold medals won by a South African, achieved by swimmer Penny Heyns (1996) and tennis player Charles Winslow (1912). Tatjana Smith could join or surpass them in Paris.
— FUN FACTS

An original piece of iron from the Eiffel Tower forms the centrepiece of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic medals. (Olympics website/Press handout)

Striking murals depicting famous local athletes have been painted in 23 locations across the SA to inspire Msanzi to support Team SA at #Paris24. This initiative, which is part of the Bidvest OPEX programme, has also provided monthly income to the families from whom the walls are being rented. (Bidvest)

Operation Excellence: Bidvest backs SA's next generation of Olympians

[Supporting Team SA] is a milestone in what I call [Bidvest's] country duty. Sport is a unifier, but more so in SA, it's about social cohesion. So we're not just backing sport, we're backing societies and the country as a whole
— Mpumi Madisa, Bidvest Group CEO

Thanks to a R66m cash injection by Bidvest, the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (Sascoc) has been able to revive its Operation Excellence (OPEX) programme.

Now named the Bidvest OPEX programme, it aims to:

Identify the next generation of SA athletes who have the potential to compete at the highest level in international events; and
Help them reach their full potential by supporting them with benefits such as living expenses, opportunities to attend local and international camps and competitions, and access to scientific and medical services.

SA Olympians who have previously benefitted from the programme include Matthew Brittain, Chad le Clos, Ryk Neethling, Sizwe Ndlovu, Roland Schoeman, Caster Semenya, John Smith, James Thompson, Cameron van der Burgh and Wayde van Niekerk.