IOC announces $10,000 grant for all future Olympians

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has unveiled a new initiative called the 'fit for the future Olympian grant', which will be available to all future Olympic athletes. Each Olympian will be eligible to receive $10,000 (approximately £7,600) for every Olympic Games in which they participate. The funds are intended to support their athletic career or help with their career transition after sport.

A total fund of $140 million (£106.5 million) will be set aside for each Olympic Games, with an estimated 14,000 athletes per Games qualifying for the grant. The first athletes eligible to apply will be those competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The grant will not be available to athletes who commit an anti-doping violation, breach the IOC code of ethics, violate the conditions of participation, or the Olympic Charter. The money will be distributed through existing National Olympic Committee (NOC) structures and will not be reduced by any existing IOC support programs.

This initiative is one of the first actions under the IOC's 'fit for the future' framework, which seeks new ways to support athletes. Spain's three-time Olympic basketball medalist and chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission, Pau Gasol, emphasized that the grant is not prize money but recognition of the journey and dedication required to become an Olympian.

In contrast, World Athletics became the first international federation to award Olympic prize money at the Paris 2024 Games, with gold medalists receiving $50,000. IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who opposes prize money, believes the organization must find more ways to directly impact athletes. The grant applies only to athletes with Aa accreditation at the Olympic Games, not the Youth Olympic Games. Applications for 2026 Olympians are expected to open at the end of 2025, with first payments in 2027.