World Athletics – the international governing body for track & field, cross country, road running, racewalking, mountain running and ultrarunning – and the International Athletics Foundation unveiled a $500,000 support fund for athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic Tuesday.
Sebastian Coe, World Athletics president and IAF chair, said the fund would be “used to assist athletes who have lost most of their income in the last few months due to the suspension of international competition,” according to the announcement.
“I am in constant contact with athletes around the world and I know that many are experiencing financial hardship as a consequence of the shutdown of most international sports competition in the last two months,” Coe said in a statement. “Our professional athletes rely on prize money as part of their income and we’re mindful that our competition season, on both the track and road, is being severely impacted by the pandemic.”
Athletes will apply for assistance from the fund through the organization’s six regional associations. Coe will chair a working group to assess applications that will meet this week to “establish a process for awarding and distributing grants to individual athletes and to look at other ways to raise additional monies for the fund.”
Track & field, like aquatic sports, will have to reschedule its 2021 world championships event in the wake of the Olympic postponement, and had to postpone seven Diamond League events (the sport’s 15-meet FINA World Cup-like tour).
“We’re hopeful that we will be able to stage at least some competition later this year. In the meantime we’ll also endeavour, through this fund and additional monies we intend to seek… to help as many athletes as possible,” Coe said.
The International Swimming League is the only governing body to offer direct assistance to swimmers so far. Through its “Solidarity Program,” the league has committed to pay 320 swimmers who participate in its five-week training and competition camp $1,500 a month from September 2020 to July 2021, totaling over $5 million in monthly pay alone. With additional bonuses, ambassador payments, and prize money, the league has committed a total of $11 million.