World Athletics has shared exciting news that it will be the first international sports federation to give prize money at the Paris Olympic Games.
They’ve set aside a total of $2.4 million for the upcoming Paris Olympics, where athletes winning gold will get $50,000 each. This prize money will also be given to silver and bronze medalists starting with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
World Athletics President, Lord Coe, described this move as a groundbreaking moment for the organization and the sport. He emphasized the importance of rewarding athletes for their contribution to making the Olympic Games a worldwide success.
At the Paris Olympics, there will be 48 athletics competitions, including relays where the team members will share the prize money.
Greg Rutherford, a gold medalist from the London 2012 Olympics, praised this decision, pointing out that Olympic sports are far from being amateur activities.
World Athletics also noted that they’ll share more details about how the prize money system will work for the 2028 Olympics closer to the event. They added that athletes would need to pass the standard anti-doping tests to receive their prize money.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), traditionally, does not offer prize money, leaving it up to individual sports’ governing bodies and national Olympic committees. Some national committees reward their athletes, but the British Olympic Association does not.
Rutherford highlighted the immense sacrifices athletes make to reach the pinnacle of Olympic success and called for broader financial support from the IOC for athletes across all sports.
Swedish Olympic pole vault champion, Armand Duplantis, and Norwegian Olympic 400m hurdle champion, Karsten Warholm, both welcomed the initiative, seeing it as a positive step towards professionalizing the sport, though Warholm noted it wouldn’t alter his motivation for winning gold.
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