Britain’s Matt Richards Fires Back at IOC President Comments About Payment
Days after Kirsty Coventry, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), commented that she doesn’t “believe in paying athletes,” Olympians continue to fire back against the sentiment. In a post on his LinkedIn page, Great Britain’s Matt Richards posted a lengthy response to Coventry’s words.
Richards is a multi-time Olympian who twice has helped Britain win gold in the 800 freestyle relay, and also secured a silver medal in the 200 freestyle at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Richards, through empassioned and measured words, spoke out against the IOC using his image and success to bank billions of dollars, while the athletes did not receive proper payment for their talents and performances.
“The IOC president just said ‘I don’t believe in paying athletes,’” Richards wrote.
“Let me tell you what that actually means for those athletes…
“I won two Olympic gold medals by 21 years old. By most measures, that made me one of the most commercially valuable athletes in British sport. And for the two weeks those Games were on, the IOC used my image, my story, and my performances to sell a product that generates billions of dollars in broadcast rights and sponsorship revenue – as they should.
“But for that I got a nice Olympic village and a medal ceremony…
“I’m not saying this to complain – I absolutely love competing at the Olympics and I’ll do it again. But the idea that athletes should be grateful for “beautiful venues and a beautiful experience” while the organisation around them operates as a commercial empire, generating billions every year, is one of the most backwards things in sport.
“And it’s not just the Olympics. This is the water most athletes are swimming in every day of their careers (pardon the pun).
“I’ve spoken to hundreds of athletes at every level. The story is almost always the same. Underpaid, undervalued, and with no idea how to change it.
“This is exactly the mission I set out to tackle when founding Sponza.
“All of this said, I don’t think every athlete should get a cheque from the IOC. But every athlete with a platform – no matter how niche – deserves transparency, access, and a fair shot at building an income from the thing they’ve dedicated their life to – with the Olympics being the pinnacle of that for most.
“Being an Olympic athlete, of course I am passionately biased on this – but really interested to hear everyone’s take here. Do you think the IOC should be doing better? Personally, I do.”
