There is a push for Olympians to receive greater compensation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and have more input into decisions that affect their careers, including sponsorship freedom, according to a survey conducted by an athletes’ union.
The survey carried out on behalf of the World Players Association, a sector of UNI Global Union (UNI), polled over 3,000 people from Australia, France and the United States in the months following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
It found the IOC’s actions are out of step with public expectations on athlete rights and representation, which highlights the public’s lack of awareness of the challenges Olympic athletes face.
Athletes are paid through “Olympic medal bonuses” awarded by their home countries and only receive a sliver of the billions made from the tournament.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Australian Olympic medallists received $20,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze, all through the Australian Olympic Committee’s (AOC) Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) scheme.
Many athletes, particularly those who don’t feature on the podium, retire from their professional sporting careers prematurely due to financial reasons.
A majority of the survey participants (65 per cent) said they believed the IOC should share Olympic revenue as a form of payment with athletes, either directly or indirectly.
Australians, who took part in the survey, had the highest support for this change at 68 per cent.
According to the union, the IOC produced $590,000 for each of the 11,300 competitors during the Tokyo Olympics.
However, athletes received just 0.6 of the revenue they generated via the “Olympic Scholarship” program.
The IOC made $12.1 billion from the combined period of the Tokyo 2020 Summer and PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games. Over 90 per cent of this was through the sale of broadcasting and marketing rights.
As the IOC is a non-profit organisation, the majority of its income is poured into developing sports worldwide.
Matthew Graham says without athletes there are no Olympic Games. (Ezra Shaw: Getty Images)
The body says it distributes the equivalent of $6.7 million around the world every day back into sport and athlete development.
Each year, about $4.4 billion is given to the host city to help stage the Games, while a considerable sum is also put towards staging the Youth Olympic Games every two years.
The UNI poll also found there was overwhelming support for athletes to have a greater say in decisions that directly affect their careers, such as sponsorships.
Again, Australian survey participants had the greatest support for this at 71 per cent, followed by the US (67 per cent) and France (62 per cent).
When asked whether athletes should or should not be allowed to promote personal sponsors when competing at the Olympic Games, the majority of respondents in each country believe they should be allowed.
UNI World Players head Matthew Graham said the poll showed public support for change.
“Without athletes, there are no Olympic Games, and they deserve to have a stake in the enormous wealth they generate,” Graham said.
“The next president must ensure the IOC acknowledges athletes’ hard work and dedication by paying them their fair share, and giving them an equal say in all matters affecting their careers, wellbeing and livelihoods.”
The IOC will elect a new president in March following Thomas Bach’s decision to step down from the role after two four-year terms.
The new president will take office in June and the union is seeking a commitment to fair treatment for athletes and a greater share of the billions of dollars generated at the Games from whoever takes the role.
The IOC has been contacted for comment.
