Paper: World champion Järveoja not to receive hometown cash reward
While municipalities in Estonia traditionally provide cash rewards to its resident athletes who earn top spots in top competitions, rally co-driver Martin Järveoja, who clinched the 2019 WRC world champion title alongside driver Ott Tänak, will not receive a reward from Elva Municipality, regional paper Tartu Postimees writes.
Elva Municipality, of which Järveoja is a resident, has not established such a procedure for the payment of cash rewards, and the reward amount that the small local government could afford to begin with would be on the very small side anyway, the paper writes (link in Estonian).
Besides, the champion rally co-driver is the son of Elva Municipal Mayor Toomas Järveoja, which would render the payment of a cash reward a matter of a conflict of interest.
Järveoja's hometown government is planning on organizing a celebratory reception for the world champion sometime in December, after he and Tänak have returned to Estonia following trips to Japan, England and the FIA award ceremony in Paris.
According to Marika Saar, deputy municipal mayor for culture and sports, the municipality and its pre-reform predecessor, the town of Elva, have opted to direct financial support to young local athletes and sports clubs instead.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
