Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave criticizes World Athletics for offering prize money to gold medalists at Paris 2024 – calling it unfair to other sports

Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave has criticized World Athletics for offering prize money to gold medalists – insisting it was unfair to other sports.

Athletics will become the first sport in Olympic history to financially reward its champions at this summer’s Games in Paris, with gold medalists expected to collect $50,000 (£39,800).

Redgrave, however, says the historic decision risks turning the Games into a two-tier system – and believes World Athletics would be better off putting the £1.9million prize pool towards developing its base.

“I was very surprised,” the five-time Olympic rowing champion told Mail Sport. “If you win an Olympic gold medal in any athletics event, you can make substantial financial gains from those results.

“It seems a bit harsh for sports that can’t afford to do that. Rowing is in this situation. We have difficulty integrating sponsorship and financing.

Sir Steve Redgrave has claimed he made more money in the two years since his retirement than he did in his entire Olympic rowing career.

“This separates elite sports from others like rowing, canoeing and most combat sports. They just don’t have the same funding as World Athletics.

“I would prefer that the money they invest goes into helping more of the grassroots of their own sports – or helping other Olympic sports be able to be at the same level and with the same footprint.”

The historic athletics decision was announced by the sport’s chairman, Lord Coe, with whom Redgrave worked on the London 2012 bid team. They also both won gold medals for the Great -Brittany in Los Angeles 1984.

Redgrave, who claims to have won more in the two years since his retirement than during his career, added: “Most other sports won’t be able to keep up with that. You make it a two-tiered process. For me, this is the wrong direction.