Gambian track queen Gina Bass is among athletes with hot potentials to win massive cash windfall at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
This is because track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics, with World Athletics saying it would pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris.
The move is a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Olympics in one of the games’ most-watched events.
The governing body of athletics said it was setting aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 men’s, women’s and mixed events on the track and field program for this year’s Paris Olympics. Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members. Payments for silver and bronze medalists are planned to start from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told reporters that the move is meant “to recognize that the revenue share that we receive is in large part because our athletes are the stars of the show.”
The prize money will come out of the share of Olympic revenue that the IOC distributes to World Athletics.
However, the move could upset the balance of power in the Olympic movement ahead of the Paris Games. Coe said World Athletics only gave the International Olympic Committee “a heads-up” of its intentions on Wednesday morning, shortly before it published its announcement.
Who are The Gambia’s medal hopefuls?
Gina Bass of course leads the pack. Afte winning gold in the 100 and 200meters at the recent African Games, Bass is in reality the best The Gambia has close to a gold medal. She could also inspire the women’s relay team if the rest of the team can match her sprint and endurance.
