IOC launches athlete grant programme worth up to $140 million

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday in Lausanne that it will create a grant programme worth up to $140 million to provide direct financial support to athletes after the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. The plan is built around $10,000 grants that eligible athletes can apply for after competing.

IOC officials said athletes must meet integrity requirements, including anti-doping compliance, to qualify. Officials framed the initiative as support for athletes rather than Olympic prize money.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry presented the project alongside Athletes’ Commission chair Pau Gasol. Officials said the grants are intended to be available regardless of results and regardless of whether athletes continue their sporting careers. The first group of eligible applicants is expected to be nearly 2,900 athletes who competed at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

The IOC said about 11,000 athletes expected to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Games would also be eligible to apply after those Olympics, with the total grant pool for Los Angeles projected at about $110 million. The wider fund ceiling across the two Games was presented as up to $140 million.

The announcement comes as the IOC has faced growing calls in recent years to introduce prize money for medallists, a position the organisation has historically resisted. IOC officials presented the grants as a different approach, aimed at widening support beyond an elite group of podium finishers.

How applications and payments are expected to work

The IOC said applications will be handled through an online platform intended to support athletes during and after their careers. If applications are approved, officials said the money is expected to be routed through national Olympic committees (NOCs).

NOCs would be required to demonstrate that funds were transferred directly to athletes, officials said. Gasol indicated eligibility will not be tied to financial need, adding that athletes in sports where top professionals can already earn significant salaries — including men’s basketball, football and ice hockey — would still be eligible and can decide whether to apply.

IOC officials said the first disbursements are expected after the 2026 Winter Games, with a larger rollout planned after the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The IOC is expected to provide further details on the application platform and the reporting requirements for NOCs before the first payments are made after Milan Cortina.

How the grants fit the IOC’s wider funding model IOC officials linked the new scheme to the organisation’s “Fit for the Future” strategy review under Coventry, one year after she formally took office. Officials said feedback gathered during the process included a consistent message that athletes wanted more direct support across their Olympic journey and beyond.

The IOC also said the grant programme is separate from Olympic Solidarity, its existing funding mechanism that supports athletes and teams — particularly from less-wealthy countries — with preparation, qualification and participation. The Olympic Solidarity budget for the four-year cycle that includes Milan Cortina and Los Angeles is valued at $650 million.

The grant programme is designed to broaden direct support for competitors after the Games, while leaving the debate over medal-linked prize money to sports federations and other stakeholders.