Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto has signaled that bonuses for Indonesian athletes who win medals at the upcoming Asian Games could be higher than those awarded to medalists at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.Speaking at the SEA Games athlete awards ceremony at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, Prabowo said the Asian Games would be the next major challenge for national athletes, with a significantly higher level of competition than the SEA Games.“Our next challenge is the Asian Games. The higher the reward, the tougher the competition will be, both for the athletes and for us,” Prabowo said. “We have already set a firm benchmark, a SEA Games gold medal is rewarded with Rp1 billion. So for an Asian Games gold medal, the amount will increase.”He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to appreciating the dedication and achievements of Indonesian athletes who have brought honor to the country at the ASEAN, Asian, and Olympic levels.“On behalf of all Indonesian people, I salute you. We are fortunate to have you. We hope you will compete at the Asian Games and the Olympics with honor,” he added.The 2026 Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. The event will feature around 41 sports and 460 events, with athletes from across Asia competing.During the ceremony, eight athletes representing all medalists from the 2025 SEA Games received symbolic bonuses from President Prabowo at the State Palace.They included triathlon gold medalist Martina Ayu Pratiwi, wushu gold medalist Edgar Xavier Marvelo, skateboard gold medalist Bashar Gaeto, rowing gold medalist Yadi, ice hockey gold medalist Rizky Akira, badminton team silver medalist Rachel Allessya Rose, equestrian team silver medalist Dara Ninggar Prameswari, and kick ball team bronze medalist Lena.The President presented each athlete with a box containing a bank book as a symbol of the bonus transfer. Individual gold medalists received Rp1 billion, while gold medalists in team events received Rp500 million (US$29 thousand) each.Meanwhile, silver medalists in team events received Rp250 million (US$14 thousand) each, and bronze medalists in team events received Rp110,250,000 (US$6,378) each.