TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lee Yang (李洋), one-half of Taiwan’s Olympic gold medal-winning badminton duo, will receive a NT$5.5 million (US$168,430) bonus from his hometown county, Kinmen, for his outstanding performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Lee and partner Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) successfully defended their Olympic men’s doubles title Sunday (Aug. 4), defeating China's Wang Chang (王昶) and Liang Weikeng (梁偉鏗), ranked No. 1 in the world. The victory brought Taiwan its first gold medal at the Paris Games.
Kinmen County will award Lee a NT$3 million (US$91,855) gold medal bonus, a NT$100,000 national team member bonus, and a four-year monthly training subsidy of NT$50,000, totaling NT$5.5 million. These rewards are in accordance with the county's regulations for outstanding athletes, per CNA.
Kinmen held a watch party for the gold medal games Sunday at the Kinmen Stadium. Kinmen Magistrate Chen Fu-hai (陳福海) and his wife Hsu Li-hsien (許梨羨), Deputy Magistrate Lee Wen-liang (李文良), Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Chair Wu Kun-zhang (吳昆璋), Lee’s uncle, and almost a thousand residents gathered to cheer on the duo.
Chen and Lee’s uncle announced plans to build an international-level badminton arena in Kinmen to foster the development of badminton in the county. The new arena would allow Kinmen to host international competitions.
Chen expressed his gratitude to Lee for bringing honor to Taiwan and Kinmen and pledged to continue supporting sports development in the county. Chen also announced the county's plan to focus on developing table tennis and badminton.
Lee's family members expressed their pride, calling him a "light" for their family, Kinmen, and Taiwan.
