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Baseball Olympic Games 2020 - Official Payoff

MLB superstar Juan Soto donated $200k to Tokyo 2020 Dominican Olympians

MLB superstar Juan Soto donated $200k to Tokyo 2020 Dominican Olympians
25/10/2021
The MLB All-Star backed Dominican Olympic athletes from the sports of baseball, boxing and track and field. "What they did for the Olympics, it’s just amazing,” Soto said.

Washington Nationals Dominican outfielder superstar Juan Soto sponsored a mix of his country’s Tokyo 2020 Games Olympic athletes. According to the Washington Post, Soto donated his earnings from July's Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Weekend -- around US$ 200K -- to sponsor Dominican Olympic athletes, including baseball players, boxers and track and field athletes.

The Dominican Republic went on to earn its first Olympic baseball medal in Tokyo, after topping Korea in the bronze medal game. It was also the country’s first-ever team-sport medal in the Olympic history.

It was Dominican National Team outfielder Emilio Bonifacio who had suggested to Soto to consider sponsoring Dominican Olympians in other sports. Bonifacio was part of the Dominican Republic's bronze medal winning squad.

“I just told him to consider others beyond baseball,” Bonifácio recalled during a phone call with the Washington Post. “He was already going to. He wanted to help as many people as he could...The boxers, the runners, they are doing this because it is what they love. And they are doing this for our country with little financial gains.”

“I know where they all came from and what they have been through,” Soto told the Washington Post. “The process we have to all go through is hard. We have to go from one side of the country to the other for practices. We had to go hours and hours without eating sometimes. We have to practice and have no proteins, or shoes, or not the right clothing or equipment. So it’s pretty tough to do that and still be motivated. What they did for the Olympics, it’s just amazing.”

At 23, Soto is one of the most exciting players in the game. In his fourth MLB season, he hit .313 with 29 home runs, 95 RBI and a National League-leading 145 walks, leading his team in all four offensive categories. He made his first All-Star Game appearance this year.

Dominican Republic earned five medals at Tokyo 2020, including three silvers (one in weightlifting and two in track and field) and a pair of bronzes (weightlifting and baseball).