Olympic medalists receive a Chery on top

Going to the Olympic Games to represent your country in your chosen sport is a big honour, but athletes often have to rely on sponsorship deals to keep food on the table.

However, a promotion by the Malaysian division of Chinese carmaker Chery will ensure those who succeed don’t have to worry about transport when they get back home.

In the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chery Malaysia promised to give any of the country’s Olympians who score a medal a free car.

For gold medalists, the prize on offer is a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, while those who receive silver or bronze medals will be given an Omoda E5 and Tiggo 7 Pro, respectively.

It may have taken more than a week, but the first athletes to benefit from the offering won the nation’s first medals of the Games over the weekend.

Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik took bronze in the men’s badminton doubles, repeating the feat they achieved in Tokyo three years ago. They’ll become the owners of a Tiggo 7 Pro each when they return to Malaysia from France.

Malaysia is yet to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, though the nation’s first athlete to score the top prize now appears to have added motivation to go along with the sporting accolade.

Toyota remains the official vehicle supplier of the Olympics, while we’re nearly a quarter of a decade past Holden holding that role for the 2000 Sydney edition.