Despite settling for a silver medal in karate, Saudi athlete Tarek Hamdi will receive six million riyals ($1.59 million) in recognition of his achievement, which marked the country's second silver medal in its Olympic history. Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki announced that the athlete would be awarded five million Saudi riyals ($1.33 million) in honor of his accomplishment. The sports minister stated, "You were on time, hero, with your excellence, success, and achievement for your country. You are the winner and the 'gold' champion in the eyes of all the just ones. Because you are a hero in our eyes, our Olympic champion Tarek Hamdi will be honored with a gold medal prize of 5 million riyals for his distinction, creativity, and honorable representation of the nation in front of the world stars in Tokyo 2020. You deserve it, hero, and the future is ahead of you, God willing."
Additionally, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal announced a monetary reward for karate player Tarek Hamdi after he brought Saudi Arabia its second silver medal in history at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Bin Talal tweeted, "Congratulations to the Saudi leadership for the achievement of champion Tarek Hamdi at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics," adding, "On the occasion of this historic achievement, I offer a reward of 1,000,000 riyals to the Saudi champion."
Hamdi was on the verge of giving his country its first-ever gold medal but made a technical error in the final of the +75 kg category when victory seemed within reach, settling for silver. He lost the final match against Iranian Sajjad Ganjzadeh after committing a "hansoku" technical fault while leading his opponent 4-1.
In a tweet, Hamdi expressed his desire to win the gold medal, dedicating his silver medal achievement to the Saudi leadership and people. This marks Saudi Arabia's second silver medal in its history, following Hadi Souan's performance in the 400m hurdles at the Sydney 2000 Games. Karate is one of the five new sports added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, alongside surfing, climbing, skateboarding, and a combination of baseball and softball.
