Olympic sports organizations today criticized World Athletics, which promised athletes $50.000 for every gold medal won at the Paris Olympics.
The move by World Athletics and its president Sebastian Coe broke with tradition, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not pay awards to athletes, although their national governments or Olympic committees can do so.
"According to many, this move undermines the Olympic values and the uniqueness of the games," said the International Association of Summer Olympic Federations (ASOIF).
That organization stated that all sports cannot and should not make a move like World Athletics, even if they want to and that the prize money is "against the principle of solidarity".
Kou, a one-time two-time Olympic champion in the 1.500 meters, promised the athletes $2,4 million, or $50.000 for each of the 48 gold medals to be awarded at the Paris track and field events, from a share of the IOC's multibillion-dollar revenue.
World athletics received $39,5 million from the IOC at the last Games in Tokyo.
"There was a consensus that Olympic revenues, at least for the more commercially successful and financially independent international federations, should be invested as a priority in matters of development and integrity. In recent days, ASOIF members have expressed their concern over the World Athletics announcement. No one can and should put a price on the Olympic the gold medal, and in many cases, the medal winners have an indirect commercial benefit. This ignores the less privileged athletes who are lower in the final ranking," ASOIF said in a statement
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