For a long time, many athletes who have never stood on the podium,Olympic athletes in low-income or niche events,Even when the national team covers training and competition expenses, it's still hard for them to secure basic living support, especially after they retire. Thereforecalls to grant cash payments to Olympic athletes have grown increasingly loud.
According to Xinhua News Agency: on June 24,the International Olympic Committee officiallyannounced it would establish an Olympicathlete allowance, providing each Olympic athlete with a $10,000 stipend. The policy will take effect from the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics. This is the first time in Olympic history that subsidies will be paid directly to all participating athletes.
The IOC has set aside a $140 million fund for each Olympic cycle,and all registered Olympic athletes are eligible to apply（(it is estimated that about 14,000 Olympic athletes per Olympic cycle will be eligible to apply),but currently this does not include Youth Olympic Games and Paralympic athletes.
Applicants must meet the following conditions:
1. No record of doping violations
2. Have not violated the IOC Code of Ethics
3. Have not violated participation conditions or the Olympic Charter
The subsidies will be distributed through the National Olympic Committees of each country and territory. If an athletevoluntarily declines to apply, the corresponding allocation will remain in the fund to benefit subsequent athletes.
Chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission,Spanish Olympic basketball medalistPau Gasol(Pau Gasol) said:“"Every athlete's journey is different, but every Olympian has made enormous sacrifices to stand on the Olympic stage. This is not prize money, but recognition of the experience of being an Olympian."
Gasol also confirmed that NBA players are also eligible to apply for this grant. "They have the right to decide how to use this funding, and we also hope to give them many options so they can use the money wisely, thereby gaining fulfillment and reward."
The IOC also made clear that this new additional grant will not reduce existing support funding for National and Regional Olympic Committees, international single-sport federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games or the OlympicSolidarity Fund.
This is the first time the IOC has issued Olympic bonuses, but it is not the first time World Athletics has done so.
As early as the 2024 Paris Olympics, World Athletics awarded each gold medalist $50,000, to be paid six months later, becoming the first international federation to award Olympic prize money. That policy will also be extended to silver and bronze medalists at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In fact, many countries around the world have long established various forms of post-career protection systems for Olympians:
Russia provides retirement allowances or pensions for Olympians; China also has in-system retirement subsidy arrangements; Australia provides athletes with about $22,000 in retirement assistance for each Olympic Games;
The United States has established an Olympic medal bonus system (gold $37,500, silver $22,500, bronze $15,000), but only podium athletes can benefit from this.
Including at the end of January this year, American businessmanRoss Stevens (Ross Stevens) donated $100 million to provide $200,000 of security for every American Olympian.
Although the allowance the IOC is issuing this time is not a huge sum, it improves the Olympic reward mechanism and expands its coverage,serving as a bridge that, while respecting each country's systems, provides the most basic protection for all Olympians.
Will there be more and different forms of athlete protection mechanisms in the future? What do you think about the IOC's first-time disbursement of allowances? Feel free to leave your comments and interact in the comment section.
Text：Paoye / Editor：MP
