Wanda Diamond League will boost athlete prize money to an unprecedented degree.
2024.09.26
Starting with the next season, the Wanda Diamond League will elevate the prize money for athletes to the greatest levels in the series’ history.
The Diamond League General Assembly made the decision on Sunday, which would result in an increase in prize money to US$9,240,000 in 2025 for the entire season.
The current figure is the biggest since the Diamond League‘s inception in 2010 and about a third more than what was paid during the pandemic-affected years of 2021–2024.
Over the course of the 2025 season, athletes will receive payments totaling around US$18 million, including promotional fees for elite athletes. A significant amount of additional funds will be allocated to athlete services, including lodging, transportation, and medical and physical therapy.
The total prize money paid each meeting under the new system will be US$2,240,000 at the Wanda Diamond League Final and US$500,000 at each of the 14 regular series events.
Between US$30,000 and US$50,000 in total prize money will be awarded for each discipline during the series meetings and between US$60,000 and US$100,000 at the Final.
As usual, prize money is distributed equally between male and female athletes based only on their gender. Athletes from all throughout the track and field spectrum will profit from the boost, which will also apply to all 32 Diamond disciplines.
The Wanda Diamond League is the best one-day series in athletics and the mainstay of the outdoor season for the biggest names in the world, and this is reflected in the rise in prize money.
From April to September, the series offers top athletes worldwide the opportunity to compete at the greatest level with 15 events spread over 13 nations on four continents.
An estimated US$270 million has been spent in athletes by the series and its meetings since 2010: US$180 million in prize money and advertising fees, and around US$90 million in athlete services.
#charith rajapaksha
