SIR STEVE REDGRAVE has blasted the transfer to pay track-and-field stars who win gold medals on the Paris Olympics – arguing that it creates an unfair taking part in subject.
World Athletics introduced on Wednesday a “landmark determination” to provide £40,000 ($50,000) bonuses to gold medallists inside its sport this summer time within the French capital.
For the LA 2028 Video games, the governing physique will set out a pay construction for all medallists – gold, silver and bronze – throughout the 48 occasions.
Some really feel that it’s about time the primary stars are financially rewarded however it’s unknown if different Olympic sports activities will observe this historic lead.
Former rower Redgrave – winner of 5 Olympics titles between 1984 and 2000 – informed GB Information: “Athletes which might be coaching for the Olympics throughout all of the sports activities are coaching professionally.
“A few of them don’t receives a commission for doing that, because the period that I got here by means of.
“They’re coaching full-time, they’re the leisure components of the Olympic Video games, so the face of the Video games.
“However I used to be stunned by athletics taking this transfer. It’s taking it to a unique step. The issue is that a lot of the different sports activities received’t have the ability to observe this.”
Marlow-born Redgrave, who hung up his oars 24 years in the past, continued: “The figurehead of the Olympic Video games of all sports activities is athletics.
“They’re the form of the head of all of the sports activities. However sports activities like mine – rowing or a few of the fight sports activities – simply received’t have the ability to afford to do the identical factor.
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“I’d choose that cash to be put into the event of the game of perhaps poorer nations inside athletics, of with the ability to improve them.
“They’re giving cash to the gold medallist and I believe what they’re saying is in 4 years’ time in LA, there will probably be cash for silver and bronze.
“Athletics is so excessive profile that in the event you’re ok and fortunate sufficient to win a gold medal or medals sooner or later inside athletics, you’re in all probability going to have the ability to earn endorsements, prize cash, look cash.
“There are 28 to 32 Olympic sports activities now.
“However you then’re giving the cash to the individuals which might be in all probability extra able to incomes the cash than in another sport inside the Olympic course of and that simply doesn’t appear honest.”
There are specific sports activities which might be extra privileged financially than others
Sir Steve Redgrave
Double Olympic champion Seb Coe, 67, needs to “recognise the person efforts of our athletes at an Olympics” and guarantee they obtain a few of the money that comes from mega TV offers.
Redgrave, 62, added: “There are specific sports activities which might be extra privileged financially than others.
“However that’s the entire thing in regards to the Olympics, everybody’s on a degree platform from that and also you’re making this right into a two-tier course of.
“Certainly you are able to do one thing a lot better than giving these athletes which might be in all probability incomes far more than that already to different sports activities or creating your personal sport.
“So have slightly little bit of lateral considering. That is to me the mistaken course.”