Athletes of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will receive cash rewards for winning medals at the 29th Olympic Games that will be held on Aug. 8-24 in China's capital of Beijing, local newspaper Gulf News reported on Wednesday.

The decision to reward UAE medal winners at the Beijing Olympics was announced by Ibrahim Abdul Malik, the general secretary of the UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) and general secretary of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare of the UAE.

The winner of a gold medal at Beijing Olympics will be rewarded one million dirhams (272,480 U.S. dollars) for his/her effort, Malik said.

Anyone winning a silver medal will be paid 750,000 dirhams while the athlete who takes the third place will get 500,000 dirhams, he added.

Beijing Olympics is a historic games for the nations, Malik said, adding that "it's a historic participation due to the big delegation we are taking part with."

The UAE will send a team of eight athletes to Beijing Olympics, which is the largest delegation sent by the Gulf country to the Olympic Games.

Among the eight athletes, the most promising gold medal winner is Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed Hasher Al Maktoum, who won the UAE's only Olympic gold medal at 2004 Athens Olympics in men's Double Trap.

Seven other athletes will represent the UAE in the games of shooting, taekwondo, equestrian, judo, sailing, swimming and athletics.

(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2008)