Registration for athletes Covid-19 relief fund opened by World Athletics


Registration for athletes Covid-19 relief fund opened by World Athletics

Professional athletes who are financially struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic and suspension of competition can now register for a one-off welfare grant.

The welfare fund totals $500,000 and has been created to support athletes who have lost a substantial part of their income due to international competition being suspended, a working group was set up to create strict criteria for athletes to meet in order to be eligible for the grant. Athletes must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

Must be qualified (by meeting the entry standard) for selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Must have never had an anti-doping rule violation

Must be able to demonstrate a justifiable welfare need through significant loss of income in 2020 compared to 2019.

In order to ensure that those who need it most receive the grant the following athletes will be excluded from receiving the grant:

Those ranked in the Top 6 in their event in the World Athletics Rankings

Those who have finished in the Top 6 positions of any Gold Label Road Race in 2019

Those who have earned more than $6000 in prize money from the 2019 Diamond League

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said “the International Athletics Foundation has allocated a substantial sum to the fund, and we hope to raise more through private donations from friends of our sport, but it has become apparent that the resources must be focused on athletes who are likely to be competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year and are now struggling to pay for basic necessities due to loss of income during the pandemic.”

You can read the World Athletics statement here.

You may also like

View All

Tour de France introduces yellow cards to tackle unsportsmanlike conduct

The Tour de France may issue yellow cards for unsportsmanlike behaviour, sparking debate over clarity

Read More

Queensland and federal governments agree on funding deal for the 2032 Games

The Queensland and federal governments have reached an agreement on a funding deal for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Read More

WADA publishes stakeholder and athlete feedback from third phase of 2027 Code review

WADA has published its stakeholder feedback from the Third Consultation Phase of the 2027 WADA Code and International Standards Update Process and from the Athlete-Centered Consultation on the same subject

Read More

Newsletter Signup

Please enter your email address below: