The IOC doesn’t even want athletes to be sponsored.
The International Olympic Committee, a group that has no problem taking every penny from a host city for one of its crown jewel events, does not want to pay athletes who are the show. Only a slight fraction of Olympians can do the event without getting paid but for the most part athletes struggle with finances to get a chance at a moment of glory. The President of the International Olympic Committee and her delegates are just fine with that set up. The stars of the show perform for various video platforms which pay the IOC a fortune to show the IOC’s product. People spend big money for tickets and the corporate money is hefty. But none of that money would be coming in to see IOC President Kirsty Coventry and the IOC delegates.
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer, told New Zealand’s Sport Nation that she doesn’t “believe in paying athletes. I come from a small country, I came from a sport that doesn’t necessarily pay athletes very well, and I still don’t think we should be paying athletes at the Olympic Games.” Coventry is of the opinion that Olympians should enjoy perks that are in part funded by people who will never use them. Taxpayers. She said athletes “get beautiful venues. They get beautiful villages. They get a beautiful experience. And all of that comes from the money that we raise.” Where does that money that the IOC raises come from? Taxpayers. The IOC requires host cities to have a slush fund for cost overruns if Olympic venue construction costs come in over budget. By the way, if a financially struggling Olympian finds a sponsor, that athlete cannot promote the product. Why? Because the individual Olympian might be competing with an official Olympic marketing partner and that is not allowed. The IOC is all about taking and not giving.
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
