The International Association of Athletics Federations is the first sport to start distributing prize money for Olympic victories. It surprised Armand Duplantis and his manager.
STT Sports,
Mika Halonen
World Athletics (WA) said on Wednesday that he will use the prize money at the Olympic level.
In the summer 2024 Olympics in Paris, you can only get prize money for a win, more than 46,000 euros, but in Los Angeles in 2028, silver and bronze medalists can also get prize money.
The decision is historic, as athletics is the first sport to start distributing money for an Olympic victory. Prize money has been used in the World Championships for a longer time, but the Olympic Games have traditionally been awarded through the glory brought by success.
Chairman of WA Sebastian Coe estimates that the introduction of prize money also at the Olympic level emphasizes the association’s commitment to the well-being of athletes.
– We also want to recognize the significant role of athletes in the success of the Olympics.
Athletics allocates 2.4 million US dollars, more than 2.2 million euros, to the Olympic prize money. The money comes from the share paid by the International Olympic Committee to the IOC sports federations, which WA receives every four years.
48 athletics events are contested in Paris. In the messages, the team distributes the prize money received from the gold medal.
Among the Finns, the medalist of the last years’ competition Wilma Murto is one gold medal contender in the women’s pole vault. Other Finnish winners would be huge surprises in Paris athletics.
Murto scared the Finnish fans at the beginning of March at the WC halls in Glasgow, when he left the pole vault in the middle due to an Achilles tendon injury.
On Wednesday, Murto briefly updated his situation on social media.
– The answer to the question I get asked every day: The recovery has progressed according to plan. The work continues. Slowly but surely.
WA’s historic decision came as a surprise by Armand Duplantiswhich is quite a monopoly in its genre.
– This really came out of the blue, the ruler of the men’s pole vault, the Swede Duplantis stated For Expressen magazine.
Duplantis speculates that athletics’ historic decision will affect other sports as well.
– This puts pressure on other sports.
– Swimming is one of the top sports at the Olympics, you should get something in that too. Athletics is the biggest Olympic sport, so we wanted to do something for the athletes.
Seiväshirmu’s manager Daniel Westfeldt he was surprised too.
– I didn’t think that WA had such resources, Westfeldt told Expressen, referring to a total of about 2.2 million euros for the Paris gold medalists.
Westfeldt admitted that the situation may now seem unfair to other sports. On the other hand, he believes that in swimming, for example, resources could be found to distribute rewards.
Duplantis added that it is not allowed to carry the logos of one’s own sponsors at the Olympics.
– Prize money may not be a problem. If it were possible to use (own) sponsors, it would help those athletes who are just behind the top, such as in the top ten of their sport.
Paris Olympics July 26 – August 11, 2024. broadcasts the competition events on its channels.