IOA officials to get $300 per day for Paris Olympics, athletes to receive only $50: Report

New Delhi, June 25: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) executive council members will receive USD 300 per day in dearness allowance for their five-day stay during the Paris Olympics which is exactly double of USD 150 per day in Tokyo. In contrast, athletes will get only USD 50 per day.

As per the budget estimate for the Paris Games, the 12 executive council members will get USD 300 per day which is a little over Rs 25,000 for five days in the French capital. Interestingly, the executive members were paid USD 150 at the Tokyo Olympics. In contrast, the Indian athletes will get the same allowance as they received in the Tokyo Games, the Tribune India reported.

Additionally, the IOA executive council members will receive Rs 1000 per day for five days. Only a few days after PT Usha assumed office as the new IOA president, the executive council meeting on December 26 approved the revised dearness allowance rules, the report noted. Usha will be hosted in Paris by the International Olympic Committee in her capacity as president of the National Olympic Committee.

In a balancing act, the IOA allocated Rs 2 lakh participation allowance to each athlete and Rs one lakh to each of the coaches and support staff in the budget. A large portion of the costs, particularly for the players and support staff, will be covered by the Sports Ministry, so the IOA will not have to shoulder the expenses.

Within the already split executive council, the budget estimate has reopened old wounds. Usha requested approval of the budget estimate from each executive member in a letter. "I kindly request your concurrence on these budget estimates to facilitate timely implementation and smooth execution of our plans. You will notice that this also includes the funds that are sanctioned by the Government of India in support of our teams. Your prompt review and approval will be highly appreciated, as it will enable us to proceed without any delays," Usha wrote in her letter.

In response, IOA treasurer Sahdev Yadav has requested her to call for an executive council meeting to discuss the budget, the report added. "As the matter concerns financial approval for the Paris Olympic Games, it is my humble suggestion to call an executive committee meeting of Indian Olympic Association to finalise the budget estimates for Paris Olympic Games 2024," he wrote back.