Bach rejects payments to athletes: “Not employees of the IOC”

The athletes should see “a little bit of the big picture,” Bach told the Germany Radio , in Germany there are “perhaps lawsuits at a high level,” said the 65-year-old about the increasingly loud demands from athletes to be directly involved in the IOC’s billions in revenue.

“The athletes are not employees of the International Olympic Committee,” Bach said. The IOC must use its revenue to guarantee the universality of the games. “With the Olympic Games, we offer athletes the stage of their lives and they are largely supported by their National Olympic Committees,” emphasized the first German IOC President.

Athletes around the world have recently been increasingly demanding a share in the IOC funds. Internationally, the Athletes Germany Association is seen as a pioneer, having specifically demanded from the IOC that 25 percent of the IOC's marketing and broadcast revenues (around five billion euros) should flow directly to the athletes.

In addition, Bach emphasized the importance of the IOC's political neutrality. There is no contradiction in the fact that the Order of the Rings is not saying a word about human rights violations in China before the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, but at the same time is making big gestures with a joint Korean team in Pyeongchang. “The IOC’s responsibility relates to the Olympic Games. We are not a world government,” emphasized Bach.

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Bach rejects payments to athletes: “Not employees of the IOC”

IOC President Thomas Bach has once again rejected direct financial payments to athletes.

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