Fund is created to help professional athletes experiencing financial hardship due to the Covid-19 outbreak

World Athletics and the International Athletics Foundation (IAF) have launched a US $500,000 fund to support professional athletes experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who also chairs the IAF, said the fund would be used to assist athletes who have lost most of their income in the last few months due to the suspension of international competition.

Olympic champion and 1500m world record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj, Olympic pole vault champion Katerina Stefanidi, World Athletics executive board members Sunil Sabharwal and Abby Hoffman, Council members Adille Sumariwalla, Beatrice Ayikoru and Willie Banks, IAF executive committee member Jose Maria Odriozola and Team Athletics St Vincent and the Grenadines president Keith Joseph are members of the working group, to be chaired by Coe, which will assess the applications for assistance.

Established in 1986 to support charitable causes involving athletics, the IAF, under the honorary presidency of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, has allocated resources from its budgets for 2020 and 2021 for the fund.

“I would especially like to thank Hicham for bringing this idea to us, and Prince Albert for his strong support of this project,” said Coe.

“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.

“Our professional athletes rely on prize money as part of their income and we’re mindful that our competition season, on both the track and road, is being severely impacted by the pandemic.

“We are hopeful that we will be able to stage at least some competition later this year, but in the meantime we will also endeavour, through this fund and additional monies we intend to seek through the friends of our sport, to help as many athletes as possible.”

HSH Prince Albert II added: “I created more than 35 years ago the International Athletics Foundation with the late Primo Nebiolo to encourage and promote athletics and grant financial assistance to athletics federations and the most deserving athletes.

“Since its inception the Foundation has distributed for these purposes more than US $30 million. 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. ”

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 International Athletics Foundation.

“The suspension of competition has had a huge impact on many professional athletes because they can’t earn prize money so I’m really pleased that we have found a way to assist them.”