IOC president Thomas Bach suggests World Athletics to help needy athletes

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), objected to World Athletics' decision to offer monetary rewards to the Paris Olympics gold medallists.

Bach said, the international governing body for athletics "should focus its funding on supporting athletes at the other end of the spectrum."

In April this year, World Athletics in an unprecedented move decided to reward the gold medallists of all 48 athletics events at the Paris Olympics with pay cheques.

The World Athletics set aside $50,000 for that purpose.

“While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is," the World Athletics had said in a statement.

Bach, however, said paying money to athletes is the job of "sponsors, governments or private institutions", not of an international federation.

Olympics, the ultimate amateur sports event in a highly professional commercialised sporting world, will see a trend break in its 128-year history, with World Athletics offering prize money to gold medallists.

The announcement was "welcomed by many athletes," but was met with "sharp criticism from other international sports federations."