President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach spoke out against the proposal for the IOC to give direct monetary rewards to athletes, in an interview to Deutschlandfunk broadcaster published on Saturday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2019) President of International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach spoke out against the proposal for the IOC to give direct monetary rewards to athletes, in an interview to Deutschlandfunk broadcaster published on Saturday.Earlier, the German Athletes Commission requested the committee to redistribute part of the IOC funds to the athletes.
"Athletes are not workers, not the IOC employees, and not gladiators. By conducting the Olympic Games, we give athletes a chance to succeed in life, they are [financially] supported by the National Olympic Committees [NOCs]... Athletes should see a bigger picture. Perhaps only high-level athletes are complaining. If you compare their opportunities with the opportunities of athletes from 200 other NOCs, from Africa, South America, you will see a big difference," Bach said.
According to Bach, the Olympic Committee supports athletes and pays significant amounts to NOCs, which know better what to spend that money on. In Africa, for example, it is such basic things as food and sports equipment.
