Indian skiers Arif Khan, Stanzin Lundup to receive IOC’s $10k grant for Olympians
Skiers Arif Mohammad Khan and Stanzin Lundup will be the first Indian beneficiaries of the International Olympic Committee’s $10,000 grant for Olympians as they had represented the country at this year’s Milano-Cortina Winter Games, which would be the starting point for the programme’s roll-out.
The grant marks a major shift from over a century-old IOC principle of not handing out financial benefits to athletes due to the concept of amateurism enshrined in the Olympic movement.
It is a part of IOC’s “Fit for the Future” strategic framework to find “new and complementary ways” to provide support to athletes, who qualify for the Games and steer clear of any doping offences.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry has refused to call it prize money, insisting that it is a support mechanism. The payouts will begin by the end of this year after examining applications through a soon-to-be-launched mechanism.
The 36-year-old Arif had produced India’s best-ever finish in men’s slalom by ending 39th in Milano-Cortina. It was 10 notches higher than India’s previous best result in the event, set by Kishore Ratna Rai at the 1988 Games in Calgary.
