EVERY Olympian will be able to apply for a US$10 000 grant for each Games they compete in, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in one of the most significant athlete welfare initiatives in the organisation’s history.
The “fit for the future Olympian grant” has been established to support athletes’ sporting careers or their transition out of sport, with a fund of US$140 million set aside for each Olympic Games.
Around 14 000 Olympians per Games are expected to be eligible, with athletes who competed at this year’s Winter Olympics the first to be able to apply.
The IOC aims to open the application process for 2026 Olympians by the end of this year, with first payments expected in 2027.
The grant will be delivered through existing National Olympic Committee structures and will not be reduced because of any existing support programmes provided by the IOC.
However, it will not be available to any athlete who commits an anti-doping violation or violates the IOC code of ethics, the conditions of participation or the Olympic Charter.
Spain’s three-time basketball medallist Pau Gasol, chair of the IOC’s athletes’ commission, was clear that the initiative should not be confused with prize money.
“This is not prize money.
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“This is about recognising the journey and the commitment it takes to become an Olympian,” he said.
“And it is about recognising that every Olympian is part of our Olympic community, and honouring those who have come before us and paved the way, so that current and future generations of Olympians can benefit.”
IOC president Kirsty Coventry (pictured), who has previously stated her opposition to Olympic prize money, said the organisation needed to find more ways to directly support athletes.
“It has been a topic of conversation for many years, and I am extremely proud that we are now able to do this,” she said on Wednesday.
The announcement came during the 146th IOC session in Lausanne, Switzerland, where amendments to the Olympic Charter were also approved, strengthening language emphasising sport’s political neutrality.
Changes to the Olympic programme were also accepted, meaning that individual disciplines rather than entire sports will be evaluated for selection in the summer and winter Games from Brisbane 2032.
The initiative follows World Athletics becoming the first international federation to award Olympic prize money at Paris 2024, where gold medallists received US$50 000.
That scheme will be extended to silver and bronze medallists at Los Angeles 2028.
For Zimbabwe’s growing pool of Olympic athletes, the grant represents a meaningful new source of support that could ease the financial burden many face in pursuing their Olympic dreams.
