Eleven Deep Ideas on World Athletics Offering $50k prize cash for Olympic Observe & Subject Gold
1. On April 11, World Athletics introduced in a information launch that it will be the primary world sports activities federation to offer prize cash for every Olympic gold medal in observe and discipline, starting in Paris 2024. The Prize cash introduced was $50,000 US.
2. Seb Coe then held a day of media conferences with key media worldwide. Certainly one of his final teams was the precise world observe geek crowd: LetsRun, Observe & Subject Information, Runners World, Athletics Weekly, and RunBlogRun. On this media, we had been allowed questions solely relating to the Olympic prize cash announcement.
3. This author requested Seb Coe how he thought the IOC would reply to this apparent shot throughout the bow of the Olympic ship. Seb Coe, President of World Athletics, instructed us, in a efficiency worthy of an Academy Award, that Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, encourages the sports activities federations toforge their very own paths in their very own sports activities. I’m satisfied then, as I’m now, that Seb Coe knew that the IOC would lose their full minds over this announcement.
4. A number of media sources notice that Thomas Bach was warned about one hour on Seb Coe’s press day. We’re instructed that Bach was with President Macron of France, oohing and aahing on the new Olympic venues. Bach didn’t come out damaging instantly; he constructed to being actually irritated.
5. A number of weeks later, Thomas Bach and the Affiliation of Worldwide Summer time Sports activities Federations, hiding behind the Olympic ideally suited of Amateurism, tried to indicate that offering cash lowered the worth of an Olympic medal as a result of it put a value on the medal. Thomas Bach got here out and didn’t assist the Olympic prize cash announcement by World Athletics.
6. Seb Coe was fairly cautious in his April 11 announcement. Coe is simply second to the incomparable Steve Jobs, who used to take hours for each minute of a chat. Seb Coe instructed the media on April 11 that, in his earlier days as an athlete, he may not have supported this Olympic prize cash, however that he now, as a season world athletics chief, thought that it was a starting in offering some compensation for the lengthy 12-15-year journey as an athlete builds to Olympic degree.
7. RunBlogRun, as a public service, will present a short historical past lesson on the fantastic world of Amateurism. Baron Pierre de Coubertin was the founding father of the fashionable Olympic motion. De Coubertin disliked girls’s sports activities immensely and noticed Amateurism as a solution to defend the best of sports activities, one thing achieved with a lot power and emotion however not overly skilled for. Amateurism saved working-class and middle-class folks out of Olympic sports activities as a result of most individuals wanted to work to dwell. Baron Pierre De Coubertin was a robust supporter of bodily training and noticed the professionalization of the Olympic sports activities in Historical Greece, which he romanticized, result in the corruption of the Olympics. De Coubertin wished the assorted social lessons to have sports activities; he didn’t need these athletes to compete in opposition to these outdoors their social class. Specializing in an Olympic sport was robust except one was in a rustic’s army or had a household with deep pockets. Jim Thorpe gained the decathlon and pentathlon in Stockholm 1912. His Olympic medals had been taken away from him because of the $3 a day he took enjoying semi-pro baseball! Amateurism saved the working class, center class, and particularly folks of colour out of sports activities.
8. Cash does change sports activities. I consider Cash in sports activities and nationalism are two of the important thing causes of doping in sports activities. I’m additionally completely satisfied that some observe athletes could make a modest dwelling (some greater than modest, however most modest) from our sport in my lifetime. Sports activities is the worldwide language, and Olympic sports activities are the most well-liked group of sports activities on the planet. Practically 7 billion folks, it’s estimated, will see some portion of the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer season through TV, internet, telephones, and even one thing as old school as radio!
9. In my evaluation, Seb Coe did the suitable factor, offering Olympic sports activities cash for gold medals (silver and bronze will get prize cash in LA 2028). I’m curious if every other federation will be a part of WA. Ed Warner, former UK Athletics director, famous lately that if Thomas Bach offered $50k US to all 539 Olympic gold medals up for grabs in Paris 2024, it will price near $100 million. Seb Coe is utilizing $2.4 million to offer gold medalists in Olympic observe and discipline occasions a $50,000 US award.
10. Cash isn’t every thing. However take into account this: households and mates who assist the Olympic-driven athletes by the hundreds, and 1600 of them will get medals within the Summer time Olympic occasion this summer season. Seb Coe providing WA cash for gold medalists is just the start of an extended combat to offer some compensation for the Olympic build-up to Paris. Contemplating that 5 billion US {dollars} is paid for Olympic tv sponsorship, this concept of offering cash to Olympic gold medalists makes some sense, simply to not Thomas Bach.
11. Not simply RunBlogRun helps Seb Coe’s transfer. Many media organizations have made constructive feedback on the prize cash for Olympic gold. We requested Max Siegel, CEO of USA Observe & Subject, for these ideas. Max provides nice quotes, and this can be a excellent solution to finish this column:
“USATF is proud that our Worldwide Federation is the primary to introduce prize cash for Paris 2024 Olympic Video games gold medalists. World Athletics’ historic resolution demonstrates how our sport all the time appears to innovate and assist athletes. We sit up for seeing this initiative expanded for the LA28 Olympic Video games.”
Sufficient stated for right now.
