Covid-19: World Athletics backs El Guerrouj’s initiative, sets up athletes’ support fund
World Athletics launched on Tuesday, upon the initiative of Moroccan former athletics star Hicham El Guerrouj, a $500,000 fund to support professional athletes experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The fund, set up in partnership with the International Athletics Foundation (IAF), will be used to assist athletes who have lost most of their income in the last few months due to the suspension of international competitions while the world combats the global health emergency, said WA President Sebastian Coe.
The IAF, under the Honorary Presidency of Prince Albert II of Monaco, has allocated resources from its budgets for 2020 and 2021 to assist athletes in need through this process.
Coe, who also chairs the IAF, will chair an expert multi-regional working group to assess the applications for assistance, to be submitted through the World Athletics’ six Area Associations.
The members will include: Olympic champion and 1500m world record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj, Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi (representing the WA Athletes’ Commission), WA Executive Board members Sunil Sabharwal (Audit Committee) and Abby Hoffman, WA Council members Adille Sumariwalla, Beatrice Ayikoru and Willie Banks, IAF Executive Committee member and former WA treasurer Jose Maria Odriozola and Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines President Keith Joseph.
“I would especially like to thank Hicham for bringing this idea to us, and Prince Albert for his strong support of this project. I am in constant contact with athletes around the world and I know that many are experiencing financial hardship as a consequence of the shutdown of most international sports competition in the last two months”, said Coe.
Prince Albert II on his part said “I am delighted that we can put our resources behind this initiative so we can make a difference to the lives of athletes who are suffering financially at this time”.
“We hope that this support will help those athletes preparing for international competition, including next year’s Olympic Games, to sustain their training, support their families and that this will relieve them of some stress in these uncertain times’’, he stressed.
El Guerrouj said: “The pandemic is causing economic pain to people from all parts of society, including athletes, and this is a time when we must come together as a global community to help each other”.
“I am delighted that Seb and World Athletics reacted so positively to my suggestion that we create a fund for athletes, and have made it happen with the support of the IAF”, added the former athletics champion.
