Athletics prize money model insufficient: Coe
World Athletics' decision to start offering prize money to Olympic champions should not be seen as a template for all other sports, the body's chief Sebastian Coe, who runs for president of the International Olympic Committee, said on Friday.
Coe, a former Olympic champion who also led the 2012 London Olympics, is one of seven candidates campaigning to replace outgoing IOC chief Thomas Bach, with the vote set for March 20 at the body's session in Greece.
World Athletics announced its prize money for gold medallists decision unilaterally ahead of last year's Paris Games without consultation with the IOC, of which Coe is a member, or other international sports federations.
The decision angered the IOC and some federations at the time which opposed such a move, saying not all athletes were benefiting from it. World Athletics has said it will offer prize money to all medallists in the sport at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
"Prize money was implemented by the sport in response to a very specific issue in track and field," Coe said in a conference call with news agencies, adding track and field athletes were being recruited by other sports. "We gave them (an) incentive to remain in the sport."
The Briton, however, said should he win the election next week he would not enforce such a model for other sports.
"Nobody in the Olympic landscape should conclude that because I had a mandate in World Athletics... that this is a one-size-fits-all. That I suddenly walk straight into the (IOC) office in Lausanne next week and tell everybody they are taking prize money," he said.
"Absolutely not. I would encourage the discussion about what more can we do to create true and genuine commercial partners out of our athletes."
"Nobody should run away with the idea of a one-size-fits-all. It is a collaborative discussion," Coe added.
Coe is up against multiple Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry, who is Zimbabwe's sports minister, as well as Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, son of the late former IOC president.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
44 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce qualifies for 9th World Championships
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce punched her ticket to a ninth World Championships with a third-placed finish in the 100m at the Jamaican national athletics trials on Friday. Fraser-Pryce, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and 10-time world champion, clocked 10.91sec to finish third in the women's 100m final and secure a berth for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Tina Clayton won her first national title in a personal best of 10.81 with reigning 200m world champion Shericka Jackson second in 10.88. Tia Clayton, twin sister of Tina, was fastest in the semi-finals but pulled up with an apparent injury in the final. Fraser-Pryce won her first world championships medal at Osaka in 2007 — a silver in the 4x100m relay — before going on to win 10 world titles, five of them in the 100m. In front of a large turnout that included treble world record holder Usain Bolt, she delivered when it mattered most. "It's been a long journey," Fraser-Pryce said after the final. "But it was not about making the team, it was about celebrating the journey and I am grateful for those who have been part of the journey. "It takes strength and resilience to have made it so far, but it was always a joy and privilege to represent Jamaica and I hope I will leave a legacy of inspiration to every girl who has a dream for achieving more." In the men's 100m final, Paris Olympics silver medallist Kishane Thompson delivered a blistering 9.75sec (wind .8m/sec), his personal best making him the sixth-fastest performer in history. Only Justin Gatlin (9.74), Asafa Powell (9.72), Yohan Blake (9.69) Tyson Gay (9.69) and world record-holder Bolt (9.58) have gone faster. The 23-year-old, who was beaten by just 0.005sec by Noah Lyles in the 100m final at the Paris Games, sliced two hundredths off his previous career best of 9.77 set in June of 2024. Oblique Seville shrugged off concern over a tight hamstring to finish second in 9.83 and Ackeem Blake was third in a personal best of 9.88.
Express Tribune
20 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Russell tops opening practice in Austria GP
George Russell fastest in first practice at the Red Bull Ring. PHOTO: AFP George Russell topped the times for Mercedes ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull in Friday's opening practice ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 5.542 seconds to outpace his Dutch rival by 0.065 seconds ahead of McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri and his temporary team-mate, reserve driver Alex Dunne, who delivered an impressive debut. The Irishman settled into the session and ramped up his speed in the closing stages to finish only 0.09 seconds adrift of Piastri in the car usually driven by Lando Norris. Pierre Gasly was fifth for Alpine ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber, Williams' Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who endured a troubled session. RB rookie Isack Hadjar was 10th ahead of fellow-rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes. Russell was the winner of last year's race in the Styrian Alps and won the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago, giving him momentum for this weekend. Dunne is Ireland's first F1 driver since Ralph Firman in 2003. Dino Beganovic made his second appearance of the season as reserve stepping in for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, alongside Hamilton. He wound up 18th. Most teams introduced a range of upgrades, including a new floor for Ferrari, while Red Bull had a change of personnel in Verstappen's group, the vastly-experieced Simon Rennie stepping in for Gianpiero Lambiasse, who had taken a weekend off. By midway through the session, Russell had switched to softs and continued to set the pace as Ferrari were struggling again with both cars in the pits with problems. Hamilton who had complained of gearbox issues was only 18th and Beganovic 19th ahead of Dunne, who was familiarizing himself with the demands of F1. In a largely serene session, the first incident came with a spin for Fernando Alonso when he pushed on his first lap on softs at Turn 10. "That was the worst out-lap we can do," said the Aston Martin driver. "Good to do it in FP1!"
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
Rizwan vows to serve Pak athletes
If one has the privilege, it is incumbent upon them to use it for the benefit of others, and Registered Dietician Rizwan Aftab Ahmad is ensuring he fulfills his duty. "It is about building a legacy and continuing one to serve the country for me," he explained in the exclusive conversation with this correspondent. The 44-year-old is leading a movement that involves most of the top Pakistani athletes that can help spread awareness about health and the importance of meeting dietary needs while sponsoring them for events abroad and taking care of their general medical treatment and specialised treatment for sportspersons. It has been almost two years that leading Pakistani stars like the Paris Olympic gold medallist and record-maker Arshad Nadeem, Paralympics multi-medallist including, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic discus thrower Haider Ali, and the Commonwealth Games record-setting weightlifter Nooh Dastgir Butt among others are all endorsing the multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement Activit brand. The Activit roster of several athletes and legends includes cricketers like Salman Agha and Shan Masood along with Shoaib Akhtar as well. At first, it looked like any other company sponsoring the leading talent, but there is more than meets the eye. Rizwan is filling a gap for athletes as the Director at National Hospital DHA, Lahore, where he provides them with free medical treatment for life. The same free-of-charge treatment is extended to the family members of these athletes as well. One of the examples of how he has subtly helped shape the Pakistani sports landscape was by assuring Arshad received adequate treatment for his long-standing elbow and knee injuries throughout 2023 and before going to the Paris Olympics. Rizwan was instrumental in getting Dr Ali Bajwa from England on Arshad's case. It was a connection that Arshad and, consequentially, Pakistan hugely benefited from when the 28-year-old became the first Pakistani to win an Olympic gold medal in 40 years. Had Dr Bajwa not come into the picture, Arshad's recovery would have been even more painful, jeapardising his chances of winning the international accolades. Rizwan's empathy for the athletes comes from the fact that his grandfather Iftikhar Ahmed Shah was a trailblazing swimmer who represented Pakistan in the 1948 Olympics and his third great-grandfather Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan served as Pakistan's Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Health after 1947 and was the first president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation and later served as a diplomat. Given the state of neglect by the government and even the sports bodies when it comes to athlete welfare, Rizwan and his brand have been helping them to go to international events, financing those trips but mainly completely setting the athletes free of the burden of medical expenses and giving them the access to the best facilities completely free of charge. But its vision remains that athletes can spread the awareness of a healthier lifestyle and Pakistanis too can have a shot at affordable supplements that are essential for good health, however, they do not get them due to poor quality of food products. "The driving force behind supporting the athletes and also making this product that can help everyone is patriotism and activism, there is the need to serve my country, it has been a tradition of my family and so I am walking in those footsteps," the Aitchisonian and Queen's University Canada graduate told this correspondent. He has certification as a registered dietitian and men's health specialist (Cornell University & Harvard Medical School) in his credentials, but mostly his pride comes from the rich heritage of his family he has been well-respected and even revered as Syed Ghulam Haider Shah, Rizwan's the 4th great-grandfather from his maternal side, was a spiritual figure of Jalalpur Shareef, whereas from his paternal side he is related to Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The Cambridge-educated diplomat Sultan Muhammad Khan, Faiz's father, was Rizwan's great-grandfather. "It is about the optimal lifestyle that people can achieve. I have seen people in their 80s and 90s who feel great but those in their 30s don't, and there comes the difference in the diet and the nutrients they are getting from it," Rizwan highlighted. The young CEO believes that while he is serving the athletes and the people of the country from Activt Foundation, his true motivation comes from the example of his father Prof. Dr. Aftab Ahmed, who is a pioneer of orthopedic surgery in Pakistan, founder of National Hospital DHA Lahore and the first Orthopedic Wing at Services Hospital.
