Lausanne (AFP) – The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has distanced himself from the taboo-breaking move by World Athletics' governing body to offer prize money to gold medalists at this year's Paris Olympics.
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World Athletics president Sebastian Coe's announcement earlier this month that he would award $50,000 (47,000 euros) to the Paris track and field champion sparked mixed reactions.
No other sports federation pays prize money at the Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with AFP, IOC President Thomas Bach said he believes international sports federations like World Athletics should focus on reducing inequality between countries.
“International federations must treat all member federations and athletes equally and strive to balance this disparity between advantaged and less advantaged or disadvantaged athletes,” he said. .
He said national Olympic committees, not international federations, were free to encourage athletes with prize money, noting that he received money from the German committee for his 1976 fencing gold medal.
“Each pillar of the Olympic movement has a role to play,” he said, adding: “It's very clear what the responsibility of international federations is and what the responsibility of national Olympic committees is.”
Mr Coe's move was welcomed by some leading athletes, but sparked a backlash from other sports leaders, who feared it would further entrench the dominance of rich countries. There is.
The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) said it “undermines the values of Olympism”, while the Association of African National Olympic Committees condemned the move as “contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic movement”.
© 2024 AFP
