sport news Olympians have their say in the great medals for money debate trends now

FOLLOWING on from the news last month that track and field athletes would be awarded prize money at this year’s Olympic Games for winning gold, questions continue to be asked over the fairness of the decision and the long-term impact it could have on other sports.

The announcement was made by World Athletics president Seb Coe on April 10 and caused upset and consternation with the likes of cycling’s governing body, the UCI, and the British Olympic Association, who felt that consultation should have been considered before announcing such a controversial move.

Last week, Mail Sport reported on the fears that it would create ‘inequality’ with para-athletes, who will receive no prize money at the Paralympics later this year. That was followed this week by Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave revealing he believes it will cause ‘an us and them situation’ between sports and admitting he’s ‘against it’.

Here, HEATHER DEWAR gets the views of four Scottish Olympians on the move — and finds they are united in their pragmatism over it. 

EILISH McCOLGAN (Athletics, 3 x Olympian)

‘For me, it’s no different to what we’ve already got out there in terms of being rewarded for our sport.

‘At the World Championships, we’ve had prize money for many years. I think this is just an extension of that.

‘To be honest, whether there’s money or not, winning a gold medal comes with a lot of potential influence from sponsors anyway. That, in itself, is far more valuable than any monetary cash they’re given on the day.

‘I’d rather the athletes get to keep the money, than the money sitting in someone else’s pocket. That doesn’t make sense at all.

‘There’s a lot of chat about this sport being amateur, but athletics has been professional for years. Everybody competing within the top five or six in the world, or going for medals, they’re all getting paid anyway. There’s nobody lining up for an Olympic medal that isn’t in a contract within athletics. Obviously, I can’t speak for other sports, but certainly in athletics, we’re way past the amateur stage of our sport.

‘When you look at the Olympics, whether its football, basketball, rugby, golf, tennis, none of them are amateur. They’re earning a hell of a lot more money than any athlete in track and field. I don’t know why people are getting their knickers in a twist about a one-off payment to the gold medal winners.

‘It is definitely beneficial, but the money we get from the World Championship is more than what they’re talking about here for the Olympics, I’m pretty sure. The bigger thing is the bonuses which you get from your sponsors. Bonuses for winning are way more than the actual prize money.’

LUKE PATIENCE (Sailing, Olympic silver medallist)

‘The underlying thing for me, is human endeavour. You could have offered me £10million in winnings or told me I’d come out with £1m in debt and it wouldn’t have changed me chasing my dreams. It was about far more than money. You couldn’t have done anything to make me push harder.

‘In my opinion, if money is a driver for you, then you’re probably not the type of character who will win a gold medal anyway. It takes much more than money to be a winner. Personally, I don’t think there’s an 18-year-old in the world who thinks that $50,000 is worth more than being an Olympic champion. I’d bet anyone out there would bite your arm off to be an Olympic champion. It’s such a cool thing to do in life — and I would hope that everyone out there would say the same thing.

‘Think about it — what kind of story do you want to tell the grandkids? I had a dream when I was a kid, and I went to the Olympics and the opening ceremony, and I felt like this as I stood on the podium and got a medal around my neck? Or, got paid $50,000 once and it was brilliant. Money is fantastic, but I know which story I would want to tell.

‘The money athletes receive from this payment will not necessarily be life-changing at all. I

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