Athletes to athletes: Join the momentum and call for change

The newly founded athlete coalition ‘Global Athlete’ has issued an open letter ahead of the IOC Athletes’ Forum this weekend calling for more financial transparency, improved athlete representation and concrete solutions from the sports organisations.

The letter builds on a recent letter from the German athlete coalition ‘Athleten Deutschland e.V.' and echoes many of the calls forwarded there.

Among the calls from the coalition is that athletes receive a fairer share of the revenue from the Olympic Games. Athletes should also request more transparency and insight into how IOC funds are distributed, says the letter, something that would not only educate athletes but also work “as a springboard for dialogue to change the status quo”.

The open letter further urges athletes to call for “truly independent and professional athlete representation without the influence from sport governing bodies”. Apart from independency, such a representation also requires ‘sufficient funding’, the letter states.

“We encourage all athletes to join the momentum for change to how sport is run,” Global Athlete says and calls on the IOC and other sports organisations to recognise and support athletes’ call for change and create ‘tangible athlete-centred outcomes’.