Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has awarded Australian athletes a cash bonus for every medal they won at the Commonwealth Games, rewarding the country's competitors for their performance on the international stage. The gesture underlines Rinehart's long-standing financial backing of Australian sport and is likely to be welcomed by athletes who often receive limited direct financial reward for major-event success.

Rinehart, one of Australia's wealthiest individuals through her Hancock Prospecting mining empire, offered medallists $20,000 per medal earned at the Games. The move continues her pattern of personally funding Australian sporting talent, an area in which she has previously invested heavily, including support for swimming and athletics programmes.