IOC President Kirsty Coventry Issues Clarification on the Olympic Pay Controversy

IOC president Kirsty Coventry clarified her stance against paying Olympic athletes, which had gained significant backlash in the sports community. Coventry said she had not gotten her point across correctly, but asserted that Olympic athletes should not be paid prize money.

She said that in her previous interview she had not clearly mentioned “prize money,” which led to some misunderstanding. She added that she has no problem supporting athletes through long-term developmental resources.

“I had a conversation with a journalist about paying prize money to athletes. When I was asked about it on camera, I did not repeat the words prize money – my mistake, lesson learnt. Yes, I have always said that I don’t believe in paying athletes prize money at the Olympic Games, as this would benefit only a very small number of athletes. I do believe our role as the IOC is to find ways to directly support a large number of athletes on their journey to becoming Olympians. I am absolutely committed to finding more ways to directly support athletes on their journey.”

During her previous interview, Coventry was vocal about using revenues from Olympic events to help fund the dreams of many aspiring athletes from small countries, so that power doesn’t remain in the hands of a few top-performing elite nations.

Coventry took over as IOC president in 2025 and has introduced several key changes to the IOC’s financial model.

Kirsty Coventry Talks About the Lessons Learnt from her Pro Swimming Career

Kirsty Coventry is a decorated Olympic swimmer. During an interview with IOC Media in June 2025, Coventry spoke about the hardships that come along with being a great athlete while highlighting the importance of having the right discipline and mindset to defy the odds.

“Some of the hardest lessons we learn as an athlete is when we are injured. It’s really about having that grit and determination and to know that you have it within yourself to get back up,” she said (11:25).

Coventry also highlighted how she loved being seen as an underdog, as that gave her the strength to look past her critics, knowing she has been through the toughest parts of life that most have not yet experienced.

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