The International Olympic Committee has a solidarity model where direct payments are not made to athletes for either participating or winning.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry has reignited the debate over whether athletes should be directly paid at the Olympics.

The Zimbabwean, who secured two Olympics gold medals in swimming, told New Zealand outlet Sport Nation earlier this week that "I don't believe in paying athletes".

She said: "I come from a small country, I came from a sport that doesn't necessarily pay athletes very well and I still don't think we should be paying athletes at the Olympic Games.

"[We have] to find more ways to directly impact athletes and find ways to help them on their journey to becoming Olympians and while they’re Olympians."

The IOC's official model is based on redistributing its revenue to the Olympic movement, organising committees, federations, national committees and development programmes. The organisation states that the solidarity model is there to help national Olympic committees with athlete development programmes.

Coventry added: "I was an Olympic solidarity scholarship holder without that money. I’m not sure I would have been as successful, and so I’m so grateful for that."

At the Paris Olympics, World Athletics ring fenced $2.4m from the IOC's revenue share allocation to reward those athletes that secured gold medals.

Each champion across the 48 athletics events in the French capital received $50,000, with the move to award prize money extended to silver and bronze medallists at LA 2028.

When sharing details of the decision, World Athletics President Seb Coe said: "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."

Coventry has also weighed in on whether the IOC should offer athletes compensation when their name, image and likeness (NIL) are used. Unlike in the NCAA system – the rules changed in 2021 – the IOC can use athletes’ NIL to promote or celebrate the Games without the athletes financially benefitting from it.

The IOC President said: "Well, they get beautiful venues. They get beautiful villages. They get a beautiful experience. And all of that comes from the money that we raise."