A bunch of worldwide sports activities federations say World Athletics’ determination to award prize cash on the Paris Olympics “undermines the values of Olympism and the distinctiveness of the Video games”.
Final week World Athletics introduced it’s going to grow to be the primary federation to supply prize cash at an Olympics this summer season.
Gold medallists in athletics occasions will earn $50,000 (£39,400).
In a press release, the Affiliation of Summer time Olympic Worldwide Federations (ASOIF), mentioned it was “neither knowledgeable nor consulted”, regardless of World Athletics being one among its members.
It mentioned that the federations it represents have “expressed a number of issues”.
“One can not and shouldn’t put a worth on an Olympic gold medal,” it mentioned.
“Not all sports activities might or ought to replicate this transfer, even when they needed to. Paying prize cash in a multi-sport setting goes towards the precept of solidarity, reinforces a special set of values throughout the sports activities and opens up many questions.”
It added that “there was consensus that Olympic revenues ought to, at the least for the extra commercially profitable and financially unbiased worldwide federations, be invested as a precedence into improvement and integrity issues… it seems that World Athletics’ newest initiative opens quite than solves numerous advanced points.
“ASOIF will increase these issues with World Athletics and can proceed to advertise dialogue amongst its members and the IOC.”
Given the Olympics’ origins as an beginner sports activities occasion, the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) doesn’t award prize cash however distributes funding by means of worldwide federations, and nationwide Olympic committees.
World Athletics’ transfer, which can be prolonged to silver and bronze medallists for the 2028 Video games, was extensively praised by former athletes when it was introduced by its president Lord Coe.
In response to ASOIF’s assertion, World Athletics mentioned: “Awarding this prize cash to gold medallists in Paris 2024, after which extending it to all medallists in LA 2028, is about underscoring our unwavering dedication to empowering the athletes and recognising the vital function they play within the success of an Olympic Video games.
“It’s inconceivable to place a marketable worth on profitable an Olympic medal. However we predict it is very important make certain a number of the revenues generated by our athletes on the Olympic Video games are straight returned to those that make the Video games the worldwide spectacle that it’s.
“That is the continuation of a journey World Athletics began again in 2015, which sees all the cash acquired each 4 years from the IOC’s income share allocation (roughly $40m) go straight again into our sport.”
It added “80% of all World Athletics’ earnings goes straight again into the game”.
Earlier this week, David Lappartient, the top of biking’s governing physique the UCI, mentioned World Athletics’ determination went towards the Olympic spirit.
Andy Anson, the top of the British Olympic Affiliation (BOA), was additionally vital, saying he didn’t suppose it was “significantly applicable or useful”, and risked making a two-tier Olympics.
Some nationwide Olympic committees supply monetary rewards to their medallists, although the BOA doesn’t.