Grapevine

President Coe defends athletics prize money for Olympic champions

Race walkers Brian Daniel Pintado of Ecuador and Yang Jiayu of China were the first to benefit after their 20 kilometres titles on Thursday, and in all WA is giving out $2.4 million across the 48 events in the showcase Games sport.

The WA decision has been met with criticism. Other Olympic sports federations have said they simply do not have the funds to introduce prize money. The Olympics were originally meant to be for amateurs.

But Coe, a twice 1,500m gold medallist from 1980 and 1984, said he “finds nothing strange” about the decision.

He said he was surprised that critics do not understand that top athletes need to be supported because they must be part of the sport’s profile and of its growth.

Managing director Jon Ridgeon said that “an important part of our strategy for the future over recent years has been to make sure that we award the athletes” because they are “the stars of the show.”