Tom Dean joins calls for swimming to follow lead of athleticsRichards says reward would ‘make a lot of athletes a lot happier’
Britain’s double Tokyo 2020 champion Tom Dean has joined a chorus of calls for prize money to be paid at the Olympic Games after track and field athletes were offered $50,000 if they win gold in Paris. Dean, who became the first British swimmer to win two golds at the same Games in 113 years in Tokyo, said that people were shocked that he earned nothing for his Olympics exploits – even though swimming is one of the most popular sports at the Games.
“When I tell people that we don’t receive any prize money from winning Olympic gold medals, that is always a shock and a surprise to everyone,” he added. “Whereas we do in the world championships, the Europeans. It’s just the biggest screen, in front of the most people, millions and millions of viewers, but you don’t see anything in return.
