Olympic gold is great, but athletes say some cash to go with it is even better

NEW YORK (AP) — They compete for a trophy, a ring, a chance to be called a champion and, sometimes, a place in history. Most of the world’s best athletes in all types of sports compete for cold, hard cash as well.

After more than 100 years of chasing Olympic gold – but nothing else from the people organizing the event – track and field athletes at the Paris Games will join that money-making club thanks to the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.

In a first-of-its-kind development, the runners, throwers and jumpers lining up at the Stade de France in August will try to win a $50,000 check for the gold medal. It’s a new idea — some might say overdue — with athletes in other sports wondering if they can get a piece of the action.

“I mean, who would want to turn down money, you know?” said artistic swimmer Daniela Ramirez, a student at UCLA.

The news attracted attention last week, not because anyone was going to get rich, but because it was the first case of someone in charge — someone running the show — dipping into their coffers for trophies, something the International Olympic Committee continues to push back against.

But that hasn’t stopped individual countries from paying medal winners in all sports for years. For example, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee runs the Gold Project, which distributes $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver, and $15,000 for bronze.

This year, the host country will award France’s gold medal winners about $85,000 apiece.

These kinds of payments, along with the endorsement deals that have become common for top-level sports, have long undermined the ancient idea on which the Olympics were founded: that athletes should be true amateurs who play strictly for the love of the sport.

That was a relic of at least 40 years.

Not surprisingly, athletes at this week’s Team USA media summit in New York were following the latest developments with interest.

“I can’t say I’m jealous,” said diver Andrew Capobianco, a silver medalist three years ago in Tokyo. “But I hope they can cross over to all the other sports as well – and be a leader in that. More money for Olympic athletes, especially the junior sports, would be great.”

This has also caught the attention of leaders in some of those sports. While IAAF President Sebastian Coe portrayed the move as a simple act of fairness, the Olympics are a multi-billion-dollar business; Athletes should get their share – some in his world see it as a calculated game to boost his profile in a potential bid for the IOC presidency.

Speaking at the Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Ancient Olympia on Tuesday, the UCI president criticized Coe for dropping the news without first discussing it with the heads of other sports.

“If we focus money on only top athletes, only gold medalists, then of course a lot of opportunities for athletes around the world will disappear,” said David Lappartint.

Jean-Christophe Rolland, president of the World Rowing Federation, said any available funds should instead be spent on developing and promoting Olympic sports.

“Obviously we need athletes,” he said. “But we also need to make sure that we will have athletes tomorrow and the day after.”

Of course, no one should tell people competing for medals this summer that their Olympic journey isn’t necessarily a path to riches.

Sailing pioneer Hans Henken said: “Regardless of whether there is money or not, I am not too worried.” “But I think it’s great for growing the sport and being able to provide some type of funding to help athletes continue to train and continue to compete.”

There are people like Ramirez, the artistic swimmer, who say that while having a little something extra in the wallet is never a bad thing, they’re okay with keeping cash out of the equation.

Striving for a medal is enough.

“Using (money) as a motivating factor was not something I personally wanted to see in (my life),” she said. “I don’t think it should be something that’s on my mind at all. It should be an added benefit — like a bonus at the end of the year. … I just love sports, and I think that’s my motivating factor.”

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AP Sports Writer Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games