By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
As reported by the Herald Sun, international swimmers who win medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics could be offered appearance money to compete in the three stops at the World Cup. One of the stops of the 2024 World Cup series is in Shanghai, China.
The proposed money was originally an idea to give more money to swimmers after it was announced that Paris Gold Medalists in track and field would win $50,000 (USD).
The plan for swimmers includes that some of the biggest stars have already secretly been given exclusive deals no matter their results in Paris. The swimmers already with the proposed deals include Australians. In addition, other swimmers who earn spots on the podium in Paris may have the offers extended to them.
Sources have insisted that the additional financial incentives are not linked to the Chinese doping scandal that was revealed almost two weeks ago. 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for the banned substance TMZ at the start of the calendar year in 2021, about seven months before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The swimmers were not sanctioned by CHINADA as traces of TMZ were reportedly found present in the hotel the swimmers stayed at. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) upheld CHINADA’s decision.
The 2024 World Cup has three stops, the first being in Shanghai from October 18-20th, the second in Incheon, South Korea from October 24-26th, and the third in Singapore, Singapore from October 31st-November 2nd. There have been some worries that swimmers may skip the first stop.
Last year, the World Cup stops included some of the biggest names in swimming. Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won the women’s World Cup titles while China’s Qin Haiyang won the men’s title. Qin was one of the 23 swimmers to test positive back in 2021.
Qin took home a total of $166,000 prize money while McKeown went home with $186,000. Over $1milion was awarded to athletes as the payouts totaled $1,416,000.
SwimSwam: International Swimmers Offered Financial Incentives To Compete In China In World Cup Series
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