IOC faces criticism for alleged exploitation of athletes

In the lead up to the Paris Olympics, World Athletics came out to announce prize money for its athletes, a move that was heavily criticized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

President Sebastian Coe announced that all track and field gold medalists would receive $50,000 (Ksh6.4 million), but the IOC, led by President Thomas Bach, were of the idea that World Athletics should prioritize funding to support athletes at the grassroots level rather than offering prize money to gold medal winners.

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However, that take has come under scrutiny, and the IOC is under fire for its treatment of athletes in a hard-hitting piece on South Africa's Daily Maverick. 

Maverick writes that, according to its most recent annual report, the IOC earned $7.8 billion (over Ksh1 trillion) in the Olympic cycle of 2017 to 2021. The Tokyo Olympics of 2021 alone generated $ 4.2 billion (Ksh541 billion), equating to $370,000 (Ksh47 million) for every one of the 11,300 competitors. The primary source of this revenue is broadcast rights.

Matt Graham, the head of the UNI World Players Association, says the only direct benefit athletes receive from the IOC is through the Olympic Scholarship program, which offers support and assistance to some athletes and equates to a mere 0.6% of revenue across the cycle.

Compare this to multibillion-dollar sporting leagues such as the US National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and Major League Baseball, where the revenue percentage to players ranges from 45% to 50%.

The IOC will argue that 90% of its revenue is distributed to national Olympic committees. 

A review of IOC financials has revealed that 41% of revenues are spent on subsidiaries and operating expenditures, 30.7% on national Olympic committees and international federations, and 27.7% on Olympic Games organizing committees.

What is very clear is that these funds are not reaching athletes.

The Australian Sports Foundation conducted research in 2023 to produce the “Your Sport, Your Say: Running on Empty” report.

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The report revealed that 46% of Australia’s elite athletes over the age of 18 were earning less than A$23,000 (Ksh2.9 million) a year, which placed them below the poverty line.

While our athletes are crowdfunding, the IOC operates within a world of luxury.

In Paris, IOC members stayed in the Hotel du Collectionneur. The IOC paid $24 million (Ksh30.9 billion) to rent the entire hotel for the duration of the Games. In addition to first-class airfares, IOC members enjoyed per diem payments of up to $900 (Ksh116,000) per day when attending the Olympics and official IOC events. 

They earned more from the Paris Olympics than the vast majority of our athletes.

What's more, the Committee has been accused of further impoverishing Olympic athletes, as they are required to sign away their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights to the IOC in perpetuity for no compensation and are required to abide by rules and regulations in which they have no independent and expert input.

The IOC argues that athletes are represented by the IOC Athletes Commission, a group of ex-Olympians who serve as a link between the IOC and athletes.

In reality, the body is part of the IOC and is therefore part of the problem. Athlete representation can only be effective if it is independent of the governing body and recognized as a legitimate stakeholder and negotiating party.