A total of 17 athletes who won medals at this August's Asian Youth Games received cash scholarships from NTUC FairPrice Foundation Wednesday morning.

The awards, which range from $6,000 for an individual gold medal to $750 for an individual bronze medal, will go towards the athlete's training needs. It will cover expenses such as coaching fees, equipment and funding for overseas competitions.

Swimmer Quah Zheng Wen was the recipient of the biggest award ($18,750), although he was not present at the ceremony as he is currently overseas training. He won three individual golds (second and third individual golds at $3,500), an individual silver, a team silver and a team bronze. In all, more than $80,000 was disbursed to the athletes from swimming, shooting and fencing.

Said Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO of NTUC FairPrice Co-operative: "This is one way for us to contribute to our local sporting talents. Sports is a great way for the community to come together, and it's something that we've always believed in."