For the first time in history, every athlete at the Olympic Games will be eligible for a new USD 10,000 “Fit for the Future Olympian Grant”. The grant has been set up to support the sporting career or the career transition of Olympians. A fund of USD 140 million per Olympiad has been set aside, as announced today by the Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission (AC), Pau Gasol, during the 146th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland. The first athletes to benefit from this initiative will be the Olympians who competed at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
This is one of the first actions taken as part of the “Fit for the Future” strategic framework to find new and complementary ways to provide support to athletes with their long-term sporting endeavours or career transition. With this new fund, the IOC is delivering immediately on its commitment.
The Fit for the Future Olympian Grant complements the existing support programmes. About 14,000 Olympians per Olympiad are expected to be eligible for a grant of USD 10,000 for each edition of the Olympic Games in which they compete. The grant will be delivered through existing National Olympic Committee (NOC) structures. If an Olympian chooses not to apply for this grant, their allocation will remain in the fund to benefit future Olympians. The grant will not decrease or detract from already existing support provided by the IOC to the NOCs, International Sports Federations (IFs), Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) or Olympic Solidarity.
Announcing the grant to the IOC membership, Gasol said: “This grant will be available to every Olympian. Not just medal winners. Not just athletes from certain countries. Every Olympian. Because, while every athlete's journey is different, every Olympian has made sacrifices to reach the Olympic stage. Years of dedication. Years of hard work. Years of believing in a dream. This is not prize money. This is about recognising the journey and the commitment it takes to become an Olympian. And it is about recognising that every Olympian is part of our Olympic community, and honouring those who have come before us and paved the way, so that current and future generations of Olympians can benefit.”
“It has been a topic of conversation for many years, and I am extremely proud that we are now able to do this,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said.
The following Olympians will be eligible for the grant:
All athletes who have participated in the Olympic Games with an Aa accreditation, starting from Milano Cortina 2026.
The grant is only for Olympians. Participants at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are not eligible.
All Olympians are eligible, provided that they have not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, or violated the IOC Code of Ethics, the Conditions of Participation, or the Olympic Charter.
The IOC will now work on the application and delivery mechanism for the grant with the aim of opening the application process for Milano Cortina 2026 at the end of this year, with the first payments being made in 2027.
*This story was originally published on the Olympics.com
