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Five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave has warned that paying prize money to track and field gold medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics would create an “us and them situation” between the sports.
World Athletics announced in April that it would offer prize money at this summer's competition, the first time it had done so in a sports competition in Olympic history.
Winners in 48 events will each receive US$50,000 (£39,400).
Prize money will be paid to all three track and field medalists at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Redgrave, who won five consecutive gold medals in rowing from 1984 to 2000, said: “All the gold medalists in track and field are definitely capable of making a lot of money before and after the Paris Games, so they are already “It's giving money to people who have money.”
“It becomes an us-versus-them situation. I was OK with it – I made more money in retirement than I ever made in the boat – but I'm against it.”
Redgrave added that he would like to see “that money” distributed to “other sports”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not award prize money, but distributes funds through International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
Some national Olympic committees offer financial rewards to medalists, but the British Olympic Association does not.
Rowing competition “fight for survival”
Mr Redgrave also warned that rowing “survives internationally only because of the funding that international federations receive from Olympic appearances”.
He added: “If that were to go away, our sport would be gone.”
Rowing has featured in every Olympic Games since 1900, with the women's competition being introduced at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
The boat was scheduled to compete in the first competition in Athens in 1896, but the rowing competition was canceled due to bad weather.
“You can debate whether we are relevant in today's world, but we are the founding sport of the Olympics and I think so.” [relevant]' added Mr Redgrave.
“But there is debate as to whether it only supports media-friendly sports.”
