This Wednesday it was announced that the 48 gold medalists What athletics will have this year in Paris will win $50,000 each, making it the first sport to offer prize money to Olympic champions, ending a 128-year tradition.
Although the concept of purely amateur competition has long disappeared from the Olympic Games modern, with athletes often receiving payments from sponsors and professionals who have been participating for more than 30 years, the decision to World Athletics represents an important change that Games they must face.
“It’s a problem for our sport”the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe. “But I don’t think this is even remotely at odds with the concept often talked about by the IOCwhat is recognize the efforts our competitors make for the overall success of the Games”he added.
coe He stated that the plan was not discussed with the International Olympic Committeewhich was only notified shortly before announcing the prize fund of 2.4 million dollars.
“While it is impossible to place a commercial value on winning an Olympic medal, or the commitment and focus required to represent your country at an Olympic Games, I believe it is important that we ensure that part of the revenue generated by our athletes in the Olympic Games revert directly to those who make the Games the global spectacle that they are.”Coe declared.
He IOCwhich has not yet commented on the matter, distributes the income of the Olympic Games among international federations. In Tokyo a total of 540 million dollars to the 28 sports, being World Athletics the one who received the most, with 40 million.
The amateur spirit of the Olympicsseverely undermined by the success of state competitors from the former Eastern bloc, was swept away when the IOC accepted professionals in tennis, soccer and ice hockey in Seoul-’88. Basketball followed 1992 and the superstars of the NBA garnered enormous attention when they met at the “Dream Team” of USA.
Despite the continued lack of prize money, athletes in many sports receive large bonuses from their governments and sponsors for success in the biggest showcase of all. However, although athletics is the most important sport of the Olympics By number of participants and television audience, the vast majority of competitors, including many medalists, face a constant struggle for funding.
Source: Ambito
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