Japan speed skaters offered giant bonus for winning Olympic gold

Japan skaters face rich gold bonus

TOKYO — The sponsor of a Japanese speedskating team has pledged $219,054 to any of its athletes who win a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics.

Nidec Sankyo Corp., an electronic component maker that runs a speedskating team, has doubled its prize from the 2006 Turin Games, team boss Shigehara Arai said Thursday.

“I want it to be enough to build a splendid home,” Nidec president Kazuyoshi Yasukawa told the Yomiuri newspaper.

Speedskaters employed by Nidec include Japanese ace Joji Kato, a former world record holder and world champion in the men’s 500 meters, and Sayuri Yoshii, who was ninth in the women’s 500 in Turin.

Nidec will also pay a $109,527 bonus for a silver medal and $65,716 for a bronze.

Yasukawa is putting up half of the prize money himself, with the company providing the rest.