Olympic sports bodies are seeking urgent discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding potential reductions in their revenue shares and medal events at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. This concern arises from the recent addition of cricket and other new sports to the program.
In the IOC's decision, cricket, baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash were approved for inclusion in the 2028 Games. Meanwhile, the status of boxing, modern pentathlon, and weightlifting, which had been uncertain, was retained.
The umbrella group representing current Summer Games sports, known as ASOIF, said on November 13 that the choice to expand to a record 36 sports "has raised several questions" among its members. These members collectively received USD 540 million of IOC-allocated funds at each of the past two Olympics. Most Olympic sports received between USD 13 million and USD 17.3 million from the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, which for some, constituted approximately half of their total income over a four-year period.
The inclusion of four team sports in 2028 is poised to exceed the IOC's preferred limit of 10,500 athletes at a Summer Games. This is likely to exert pressure on the core Olympic sports to reduce their athlete quotas or potentially cut medal events. The IOC has set an early 2025 target to confirm final quotas. The ruling council of ASOIF agreed on November 13 “to raise these urgent matters with the IOC leadership” after a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The council comprises the presidents of World Athletics, the International Gymnastics Federation, and World Aquatics — representing top-tier Olympic sports.
Following the Tokyo Games, track and field received USD 38.5 million, with gymnastics and swimming each securing around USD 31.4 million from the IOC's overall revenue of USD 7.6 billion generated from broadcasters and sponsors during the 2017-2021 period. The inclusion of cricket is anticipated to boost the IOC's broadcast deal in India by at least USD 100 million.
ASOIF president Francesco Ricci Bitti emphasised that key concerns for Olympic sports in the face of the Games' expansion include "revenue share, athlete quotas, Olympic qualification systems, and games optimization." Optimisation, in this context, signifies the current Olympic emphasis on cost reduction and service streamlining to aid organisers in managing expenditures.
“These are the issues that hugely impact (international federation) operations and have far-reaching effects on the entire Olympic Movement,” Ricci Bitti said in a statement.
The IOC has not yet provided a response to the ASOIF's request for comment. The distribution of revenue-sharing funds from the 2024 Paris Olympics by the Olympic body is expected to be confirmed after the conclusion of the event.
ASOIF has issued a caution to its members regarding potential participation in Russia's planned World Friendship Games, scheduled to take place a few weeks after the closing ceremony in Paris. The cities of Moscow and Yekaterinburg are slated to host the games in September.
The Russian multi-sport event “is not conducive to dialogue within the sports world during these challenging times,” ASOIF said.
The IOC has suspended the Russian Olympic Committee. However, individual athletes can receive invitations from certain sports to participate as neutral athletes in international events, provided they refrain from publicly supporting the war in Ukraine and have no affiliations with the military or state security agencies.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by AP)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
