INTERIM ATHLETE COMPENSATION SOLUTIONS
Recent comments by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, stating that she does not believe Olympic athletes should be paid, have generated significant concern and backlash among athletes worldwide. The concern is justified. The IOC is a billion-dollar organization whose commercial value is largely created by athletes; yet, less than 0.5% of its revenue is distributed directly to them, and even that limited amount does not reach all competitors. While the long-term objective remains a collective bargaining agreement that includes fair revenue sharing and athlete representation, there are several immediate measures the IOC could adopt to provide meaningful financial support to athletes without creating a traditional employer-employee relationship.
1. Olympic Participation Indemnities
The IOC already utilizes indemnity structures for elected officials and senior leadership. The 2025 financial statements disclose that IOC Members receive an annual administrative support payment of USD $7,000 plus daily meeting indemnities of USD $450 (doubled for commission chairs and Executive Board members). The President receives a single annual fixed indemnity in addition to full expense coverage. Similar mechanisms could be extended to athletes.
Under this model, every Olympic athlete would receive a Games Participation Indemnity of USD $25,000 for participating in the Olympic Games. The payment would recognize the athlete's contribution to the success of the Olympic Movement while avoiding the legal complexities associated with employment relationships. While such an indemnity would not fully compensate athletes for years of training and sacrifice, it would provide immediate financial relief and serve as an important first step toward a more equitable Olympic system.
With approximately 10,500 athletes participating in a Summer Olympic Games, the total cost would be approximately USD $262.5 million. The IOC's own audited financial statements for 2025 confirm this is well within reach. The organization is sitting on nearly $5 billion in reserves, its investment portfolio generates around $300m annually, and it has a substantial contracted revenue from broadcasting rights incoming for LA28 and beyond.
The key figures show that the IOC has significant financial capacity across numerous parts of its financial position to launch such a model without needing to generate more money:
Investment income in 2025 was USD $291.9 million. Averaged across the four-year Olympic cycle, the cost of a Summer Games Participation Indemnity equates to $65.6 million per year, representing just 22% of that single year's investment returns in a non-Games year.
Net cash generated from operating activities in 2025 was USD $218.7 million. Averaged across the quadrennium, the annualized indemnity cost of $65.6 million represents 30% of that figure, without drawing on reserves.
Total fund balances stood at USD $4.907 billion, of which USD $4.076 billion is undesignated (not committed to any programme). A per-Games indemnity of $262.5 million would reduce undesignated reserves by approximately 6.4%.
The Paris 2024 broadcasting rights alone generated USD $3.252 billion. The total per-Games indemnity cost of $262.5 million represents 8.1% of that single revenue stream.
The IOC's own audited statements confirm that Paris 2024 gross revenues were divided equally in three ways—USD $590.1 million each to International Federations, National Olympic Committees, and the IOC itself. Athletes, whose participation generates that revenue, received no direct share of this distribution. The proposed indemnity would cost the equivalent of 44.5% of the IOC's own retained share from a single Games.
2. Full Liberalization of Rule 40 and Athlete NIL Rights
The IOC can immediately increase athlete earnings without directly paying athletes by fully liberalizing Rule 40 and removing restrictions on athlete Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights. Athletes should be free to secure sponsorships and commercial partnerships during the Olympic period.
This approach would:
Generate athlete income without additional IOC expenditure.
Encourage entrepreneurship and financial independence.
Increase athlete marketability.
Reduce financial barriers to Olympic participation.
Align Olympic policy with modern commercial realities in professional and college sport.
Athletes should not be required to choose between representing their country and maximizing their legitimate commercial opportunities.
3. Olympic Athlete Revenue Sharing Fund
The IOC could establish an Athlete Revenue Sharing Fund financed through a modest allocation of Olympic revenues.
An initial allocation of 5% of IOC revenues—averaged across the four-year Olympic cycle—would generate in excess of $100 million annually for direct athlete support, representing a small fraction of the organization's reserves, investment income and broadcasting revenues as listed in section 1, while having no material impact on its financial stability.
The fund could support:
Games participation stipends.
Retirement and pension programs.
Health insurance and injury protection.
Education and career-transition programs.
Such a fund would align athlete and IOC interests while creating long-term sustainability. As with the athlete indemnity structure, this fund would not require the IOC to find new money. The audited statements show the money already exists across reserves, cash flow, investment returns, and broadcasting revenue simultaneously. The fund requires only a governance decision to redirect a modest portion of existing financial capacity toward the people who generate it.
4. Enhanced Financial Transparency
Meaningful reform requires transparency.
The IOC generates approximately USD $1.7 billion annually, yet athletes and the public have limited visibility into how resources are allocated and how expenditure decisions are justified.
Athletes, sponsors and the public deserve greater transparency regarding:
Executive compensation and indemnities.
Travel and accommodation expenditures for executives.
IOC subsidiary expenditures.
Administrative overhead costs.
Return on investment calculations for major programs.
Direct and indirect athlete support expenditures.
Transparency is a prerequisite for trust and would allow stakeholders to evaluate whether Olympic revenues are being distributed in a manner consistent with the Olympic values of fairness, solidarity and athlete-centred governance.
5. Responding to Sponsor Expectations
Corporate sponsors increasingly expect their investments to support athletes directly.
Several major sponsors have publicly shifted toward direct athlete sponsorship models rather than relying solely on Olympic marketing programs. This trend reflects growing concern about the gap between the revenues generated by the Olympic Movement and the financial realities faced by many Olympic athletes.
Sponsors are becoming increasingly aware that many athletes continue to self-fund significant portions of their training, travel and competition expenses despite generating substantial value for the Olympic Movement.
A compensation framework that includes direct athlete support, NIL freedom and revenue sharing would strengthen sponsor confidence, improve the value proposition of Olympic sponsorship and reinforce the credibility of the Olympic brand.
6. Beyond "The Olympic Experience"
Olympic athletes are often told that the Games provide world-class venues, athlete villages and a unique experience.
While these benefits are valuable, they do not pay rent, cover training expenses, fund coaching, provide health insurance or support athletes during the years required to reach Olympic competition.
Many Olympians continue to work multiple jobs, accumulate debt or rely on family support to sustain their sporting careers. The provision of a positive Games experience should not be viewed as a substitute for fair economic participation in the value athletes create.
Athletes are not merely participants in the Olympic product. They are the product. Any sustainable future for the Olympic Movement must recognize this reality through meaningful economic participation and representation.
Athletes seeking to engage with collective advocacy efforts on Olympic compensation reform are invited to contact hello@globalathlete.org