New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS): The sports ministry Thursday revised the Scheme of Special Awards to medal winners and their coaches in international events by enhancing the award money.

Olympic champions will now get Rs.75 lakh, silver medallists Rs.50 lakh and bronze medal winners Rs.30 lakh from the existing Rs.50 lakh (gold), Rs.30 lakh (silver) and Rs.20 lakh (bronze), said a ministry statement.

The reward money for medal winners at Asian and Commonwealth Games has been enhanced from the existing Rs.20 lakh (gold), Rs.10 lakh (silver) and Rs.6 lakh (bronze) to Rs.30 lakh, Rs.20 lakh and Rs.10 lakh, respectively.

For World, Asian and Commonwealth Championships, three separate categories of award money has been set depending on whether the championships are held once in four years, once in two years or annually.

The award money for medallists at Paralympics, Para-Asian and Para-Commonwealth Games have been fixed at par with medallists of Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games.

World Championships of Blind, Deaflympics and Special Olympics have been included in the revised scheme.

Under the new scheme, the number of days of training/coaching imparted by coaches to medal winners preceding the event will be taken into account for deciding eligibility of coaches for award money. The eligibility has been reduced from 240 to 180 days.