A total of 71 athletes are eligible for 2017 Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) of $1,080,000 to be paid by the AOC from January.

With five new sports added to the program for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games the AOC Executive has decided those athletes should also be included in the MIF Program.

Based on results at world championships or other equivalent events nominated by their national federation their payments currently total $40,000, comprising $20,000 to surfing world champion, Culburra’s Tyler Wright, and $20,000 to skateboarding champion Shane O’Neill.

Their inclusion lifts the total MIF payment for 2017 by the AOC to $1,120,000.

This funding boost places surfing and Wright alongside other big winners from Rio such as the women’s rugby 7s Team, our swimming team and shooting gold medallist Catherine Skinner among others.

“Surfing is excited to be part of the Olympic movement and this extra funding from the AOC provides added incentive for our world tour athletes to achieve strong and consistent results leading into Tokyo in 2020,” Surfing Australia chair Layne Beachley.

“I am incredibly proud of Tyler Wright’s dominant performance on the 2016 WSL Women’s World Tour and have no doubt her outstanding achievements will inspire a generation of future world champions and Olympians”.

All payments are an incentive to athletes to continue with their sporting careers.

However, athletes can take a break from training, come back, and still be eligible for AOC MIF in 2018, 2019 or 2020.

“In the past athletes have taken a break immediately after the Games to rest and preserve their bodies for another shot at the Games four years later,”  AOC General Manager of Sport Jane Fernandez said.

“This is totally acceptable, and those taking time out will still be eligible for the amount payable in 2017.” 

Not that Tyler Wright is looking to take any time off in the near future, she has just completed one of the most dominant world title campaigns in history by finishing the year with another World Tour victory in Maui, Hawaii.

With her sights set firmly on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games this funding provides additional incentive for Tyler to continue her domination of women’s surfing.

“I sincerely appreciate the support from the AOC and am really looking forward to the opportunity to represent Australia on an Olympic stage" Wright said.