Track and field will be the first sport to give direct cash payments for Olympic gold medals, the sport’s federation announced Wednesday.
It took pride in being a competition where elite athletes battled for nothing more than the joy of representing their country.
But the notion of amateurism at the Olympics has eroded over the last three decades, as professional athletes have been allowed to participate.
Now World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field, will break new ground by making payments to competitors more straightforward: All individual gold medalists in the sport at the Paris Games this summer will receive $50,000.
The federation said it would begin paying silver and bronze medalists lesser amounts in 2028.
Persons:
Amateurism, ”
Organizations:
Paris Games