Olympic gold award is well received by athletes – 04/11/2024 – Sport

The decision announced last Wednesday (10) by WA (World Athletics, the international athletics federation), which will pay prize money to the gold medalists of the Paris Olympic Games, was surprising. The break with a 128-year-old tradition was received with some shock by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) itself. But the athletes liked it.

If it bothered defenders of the old values ​​of amateurism, the measure was supported by top athletes who took a stand on the issue. If they complained, it was because they still consider the stipulated value to be low, US$50,000 (around R$250,000) – starting from the Los Angeles Games, in 2028, there will also be money for those who take silver and bronze.

“It’s better than nothing,” said Swede Armand Duplantis, world record holder and favorite to win his second pole vault title. “It’s a step in the right direction, considering there was no prize. Of course, there are several ways to look at it, but there was nothing, now there’s something.”

“I think it’s good,” agreed Norwegian Karsten Warholm, defending Olympic title in the 400 m hurdles. “It’s good that a professional sport like athletics continues to grow. That doesn’t change my motivation. I want to win for the Olympics, not for the money. But as far as building a professional sport is concerned, I think it’s in the right direction. certain.”

Several others had similar manifestations. For Brazilian Almir Cunha dos Santos, who will compete in the triple jump event in Paris, “this is something that was long overdue.” He always had difficulty understanding why the most important championship wasn’t worth money.

“It’s wonderful for the athletes, because we’re talking about the pinnacle of athletics. We’re talking about the most competitive competition in the world, which takes place every four years. So, nothing more fair than a cash prize for this result , for a feat that is extremely difficult. So, I’m completely in favor,” Almir told Sheet.

The argument is similar to that used by World Athletics itself in announcing the news. The entity’s president, Briton Sebastian Coe, who won the gold medal in the 1,500 m at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and the 1984 edition in Los Angeles, pointed out that the reality of sport today is different.

“I come from an era where, to compete, we had a second-class train ticket, with a meal voucher. The world has changed. It’s really important that we create a sport that is financially viable for competitors. If I If I thought the athletes were competing just for the money, my view might be different. But they’re not,” he declared.

Sportspeople, in general, were already rewarded for their performance at the Olympic Games, with amounts from sponsors, national federations and national Olympic committees. The uniqueness of the award is that it will now be made by the body that governs the sport in the world, in the case of athletics, World Athletics.

National federations also applauded the initiative, starting with the most prestigious, the USATF (USA Track & Field), from the United States. In the case of Brazil, the president of the Board of Directors of CBAt (Brazilian Athletics Confederation), Wlamir Motta Campos, viewed the change favorably.

“The fact of having a bonus does not corrupt the Olympic spirit. An Olympic athlete wants the gold medal, to be immortalized, he will not perform because of the award, which is a consequence, a recognition”, Campos told Sheet. “I see the World Athletics process naturally because it speaks to reality around the world. High performance requires dedication, and the athlete has to pay his bills and survive.”

In the case of the IOC, however, there was discomfort. WA’s decision was not previously discussed with the directors of the entity that governs the Olympic Games, chaired by German Thomas Bach. It was merely communicated by one of Sebastian Coe’s assistants to the IOC, which published a succinct note, talking about the money it distributes to the international federations of each sport.

In this scenario, consulted by the report, the COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee) informed that it would not take a position on the matter, a discomfort for those who defend traditional Olympic values. This is the case of USP (University of São Paulo) professor Katia Rubio, one of Brazil’s references in research into the Olympic movement.

“When the Olympic movement surrenders to the logic of commodification, not even that of commodification, but of the commodification of sport, it stops being this ancient celebration and becomes just another championship. Prize money for me at the Olympic Games is the same something like putting the carrot in front of the horse’s nose”, Katia told Sheet.

The researcher established a parallel between the current situation and the decline of the ancient Olympic Games, which “began when the character of celebration was lost.” “So, it stops being honoring the gods to having material prizes and then it becomes bread and circuses with the rule of the Romans. What we have in the recent Olympic Games is very similar.”