Prateek Tanmay
2 min readJun 25, 2026 08:34 AM IST
It may not be a prize money but the International Olympic Committee ending its tradition of not paying athletes for competing at the Olympics by announcing a “grant” of USD 10,000. Dubbed the “Fit for the Future Olympian Grant”, the IOC said that, starting with the 2026 Winter Olympics that was held in February this year, it will be paying every athlete competing at the Games the grant “to support their sporting career or career transition”.
The IOC has pledged a fund of $100 million for the grant. “This grant will be available to every Olympian,” said Pau Gasol, the head of the IOC’s athletes’ commission. “Not just medal winners, not just athletes from certain countries, every Olympian. Because while every athlete’s journey is different, every Olympian has made sacrifices to reach the Olympic stage, years of dedication, years of hard work, years of believing in a dream.”
Apart from being a three-time Olympic medallist with Spain, Gasol is also considered among the all-time greats in the NBA. He said that NBA players would be eligible for the grant as well, while suggesting they might be better off using it to help upcoming stars. “It’s really their right to use that grant, and hopefully we’ll provide them with great options for them to use it wisely in a way that is very satisfying and rewarding for them,” he added.
Around 11,000 athletes due to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games also can apply for grants totaling about $110 million after those Olympics, if they meet eligibility criteria such as not testing positive for doping. “This is a win for all of us,” said Gasol, who represents athletes on the 15-member IOC executive board, adding that it was “not prize money.”
The cash promise was the signature issue of an IOC meeting setting a future strategy under its president Kirsty Coventry exactly one year after she formally took office. Gasol said the IOC had heard a consistent message during its strategy review: “Athletes want more direct support throughout their Olympic journey and beyond.”
