Paris Olympics 2024 Hit By Prize Money Row

World Athletics (WA) announced $50,000 in prize money to its 48 champions in Paris Olympics 2024.

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A month ahead of its commencement, the Paris Olympics have hit a controversy with the European Olympic Committees reacting strongly against the World Athletics’ decision to pay prize money to its winners.

World Athletics (WA) announced $50,000 in prize money to its 48 champions in Paris Olympics 2024.

“The decision by World Athletics to offer prize money to gold medallists at next month’s Paris Olympics is discriminatory and goes against Olympic values”, European Olympic Committees president Spyros Capralos said.

Paris Olympics 2024 Hit By Prize Money Row

Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics, however, said that the body would not offer cash prizes for the silver and bronze medal winners in Paris, but would do so at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Capralos said he would be attending the European athletics championships in Rome where he might possibly hold discussions on the matter.

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Walking close on the heels of WA, the International Boxing Association (IBA) has also offered $100,000 to gold medal winners at the Paris Olympics 2024.

In addition, the IBA would also offer $50,000 and $25,000 for silver and bronze respectively.

The decisions received a backlash from the International Olympic Committee as well.

“We believe in the Olympic Games the athletes go there to compete for the values of the Olympic Games and their last preoccupation is to get money and bonuses,” said Capralos, who is also an IOC member.

“I think that every country through their National Olympic Committees and governments have set bonuses for athletes winning medals,” Mr Capralos told a press conference in Romania.

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Capralos said there had been no discussions with either international federation since their recent announcements.

“I think just giving some money to the gold winner is discriminatory and does not follow the principles of solidarity”, he reiterated.

10,500 athletes are expected to compete across 32 sporting events in Paris that would run from July 26 through August 11