Redgrave defends criticism of athletics medal money

Steve Redgrave has stood by his comments that World Athletics shouldn't be paying medallists at Paris 2024

Transcript

00:00 The Olympic sports I think is all should be a same level one gold medal should be the same in athletics as it is within

00:08 Swimming of gymnastics judo boxing rowing whatever across the board and so if one sport is giving prize money

00:16 For one element of it, and there's no getting away from it athletics is the flagship of the Olympic Games

00:23 It it brings in a two-tier system they get a lot more funding from the IOC than some of the smaller sports and some of

00:31 The smaller sports need that money for survival. I would prefer that money to be

00:36 disputed

00:37 Still within athletics, but helping the grassroots and growing the sport from that point of view if you're an Olympic gold medalist

00:45 Within athletics, and you've got that gold medal around your neck your earning capacity is huge

00:51 And so the money they're offering is tiny for another sport a gold medal

00:56 Commercially is not going to bring you any income in at all and so you bringing this two-tier system in so I'm not against the money

01:04 But I think it should be spread in a different way of helping their sport in a different Avenue

01:09 And that's my my views from it

01:13 I don't think there should be a two-tier system within all the sports that we have at Olympic Games