The World Athletics Association will be the first international association to also pay bonuses for Olympic gold. German Olympic champions are happy. The IOC is only informed.
This announcement from the World Athletics Federation and its President Sebastian Coe is nothing less than the beginning of a new Olympic era – and a small affront to the International Olympic Committee. The association led by the former world-class runner is moving forward with the announcement that it will reward every gold medal at the Summer Games in Paris with 50,000 US dollars (46,000 euros).
International professional associations have so far paid nothing for successes at the Olympic Games, which for a long time were only open to pure amateurs. And the step that World Athletics announced to the IOC with German President Thomas Bach almost casually and not by Coe himself could arouse the desires of many athletes from other associations.
Praise for golden money premiere
The German Olympic champions Robert Harting and Thomas Röhler praise the decision. “I think that’s totally positive. It would be nice if the Olympic movement could join in. It’s still semi-voluntary,” said Harting (39), who won discus gold in London in 2012 and is always in favor of one appropriate rewards for the successes of athletes.
Olympic javelin throw champion Röhler spoke of an important step towards the professionalization of the sport. “It’s great for the athlete that there is appreciation. It’s good that it’s happening now,” said Röhler (32), who was at the top of the podium in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Praise from the Athletes Association
The German Athletes Association welcomes the decision of the World Athletics Federation. “We consider World Athletics’ decision to pass on part of the IOC income to the track and field athletes through victory bonuses as a great step forward,” said ex-basketball player Johannes Herber, managing director of the interest group, when asked by the dpa. We also welcome the announcement that the bonuses will be extended to winners of silver and bronze medals in the future.
“The athletes and their achievements form the cornerstone of the IOC’s billion-dollar business model. World Athletics’ move should be a renewed wake-up call for the IOC and the other world associations to finally give the athletes a share in the revenue they generate,” added Herber.
But for the 41-year-old, this is only the first step. “Such revenue sharing through a dedicated fund should apply not only to medal winners, but to all athletes qualified for the Games,” said Herber.
There is already money for athletes to earn beyond major professional sports worth millions, although at the Olympics the amount varies greatly depending on the country. In Germany, Sporthilfe Gold rewards 20,000 euros, elsewhere there is much more, sometimes from state funds, sometimes from association funds. Prize money is also distributed at major international championships, and amateur status as a central Olympic element is in fact a thing of the past.
The IOC announced that it distributes 90 percent of its income – particularly to the National Olympic Committees and the professional associations. It is up to them to decide how best to use this money. Every day, 4.2 million US dollars (3.9 million euros) would flow to support athletes and sports organizations around the world.
Key moment for athletics
The World Athletics Federation will pay out $2.4 million (2.2 million euros) for a total of 48 decisions in Paris in August. In relay decisions, the members share the $50,000. In 2028 in Los Angeles there will also be prize money for silver and bronze. At the World Championships in Budapest last August, each individual title was worth $70,000, with eighth place receiving $5,000.
World Athletics boss Coe still spoke of a key moment for the association and athletics. “This underlines our commitment to empowering athletes and the crucial role they play in the success of all Olympic Games,” said the 67-year-old Brit, who was Olympic champion in the 1,500 meters in 1980 and 1984.
“The athletes are the stars of the show,” he emphasized in a roundtable with international media and recalled how, even as an amateur, he received meal vouchers and rode second-class trains. “It was a completely different world,” he said.
The journey that began in 2015 will now continue, with the money the association receives from the IOC flowing directly back into sport. Coe has headed the World Athletics Federation since 2015 and was elected last August for a third term until 2027. At first he expressly did not want to talk about whether other sports could now follow the steps of athletics. But there are likely to be discussions about it.
Coe the new Bach?
The former member of parliament and head of organization for the 2012 Summer Games in London has also left it open whether he has ambitions to succeed Bach as IOC president. The second term of office of the Olympic fencing champion, elected in 2013, ends in 2025, but at the general assembly last October in Mumbai, several IOC members spoke out in favor of reforming the statutes to allow Bach to serve another term in office. The 70-year-old from Tauberbischofsheim wants to decide after the Paris Games whether he will seek another term in office.
dpa
#Subjects
