Athletics will become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics this summer.
World Athletics, the international athletics federation, says it will pay Olympic gold medal winners $50,000 at the Paris games.
The athletics governing body said it is setting aside $2.4m to pay the gold medalists across 48 events at Paris’ track and field programme.
Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members.
Payments for silver and bronze medalists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.”
Image: Lord Sebastian Coe, President of the IAAF answers questions from the media during a press conference in Monaco, November 2015
The modern Olympics originated as an amateur sports event and the International Olympic Committee does not award prize money, though many medalists receive payments from their countries’ governments, national sports bodies or from sponsors.
More on Olympics
Related Topics:
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Advertisement
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Source : Sky News
