The Olympics are all about the athletes, unless you’re Indian. With just a month left before the Paris 2024 Games start, the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) has decided to pay their executive council members $300 (Rs 25026) as DA (Dearness Allowance) for their 5-day stay in the village, while the athletes will get just $50 (Rs 4171) as their daily allowance.
IOA neglects Indian Athletes
As per the IOA budget estimate for the 2024 Olympics, 12 executive council members will travel to Paris and will rake in 6 times more than an average athlete for their stay. Interestingly, there has been no increase in the daily allowance for Indian athletes, while executive members’ daily pay has been doubled from Rs 12513 to Rs 25026 from the Tokyo Olympics.
These new changes came after PT Usha took over as the IOA President in December last year. Apart from their DA, the executives will also be paid Rs 90000 for their 5-day stay. However, not all is bad for Indian athletes. A participation allowance of Rs 2 lakh will be awarded to each athlete, while coaches and support staff will get Rs 1 lakh each as well.
The amount spent on expenses will not be incurred by the Indian athletes, support staff, or the IOA, as the Sports Ministry has already decided to take care of it.
Olympics
PT Usha urges for change
Following this latest development, the IOA President wrote a letter to all the executive members to have a look at the budget for the Paris Olympics.
“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,” PT Usha wrote in her letter.
With the topic coming into light, IOA Treasurer Sahdev Yadav has called for an executive council meeting to discuss the budget. “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,” the IOA Treasurer wrote back.
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