4 ms·

I think the missing point behind this argument is that the Olympics are not meant to pay the competitors a salary, much less a living wage. The amateur restrict

by zhemao 10y ago

I think the missing point behind this argument is that the Olympics are not meant to pay the competitors a salary, much less a living wage. The amateur restrictions mean that Olympic athletes don't get any money directly from the IOC. They may be paid by the national team they compete with or get their own sponsorship deals, but the money given to the IOC was never intended to go to the athletes. Plus, the Olympics last for a few weeks every two years. And that's assuming your sport is in both the summer and winter events. Most people don't rely on a gig as infrequent as that to make a living. If their sport is popular, they should be able to make enough money by competing in other events outside the Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I think the IOC and the Olympics is a scam in general. And the fact that the executives are making bank off the sponsorship money is pretty disgusting. But it's unfair to blame the IOC for athletes living in poverty.

chrisseaton 10y ago
> that's assuming your sport is in both the summer and winter events Are any sports in both?
- zhemao 10y ago
  I thought indoor sports like basketball were in both. But I guess that's not the case. So basically, you can only participate in the Olympics once every four years if you're lucky.
  - dragonwriter 10y ago
    > I thought indoor sports like basketball were in both. But I guess that's not the case. So basically, you can only participate in the Olympics once every four years if you're lucky. Well, you can do it every two years if you are a multisport athlete with at least one sport in each summer and winter games. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_athletes_who_competed_in_both_the_Summer_and_Winter_Olympic_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_athletes_who_competed_...
ZacharyPitts 10y ago
The amateur restrictions were removed in 1986, and professional athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since then. Hence the 1992 NBA "Dream Team" competing and so on.
dragonwriter 10y ago
> And that's assuming your sport is in both the summer and winter events Which none are. > If their sport is popular, they should be able to make enough money by competing in other events outside the Olympics. Until fairly recently (and still for wrestling; boxing, IIRC, was another hold out until this Olympics) amateur status requirements prohibited that in most Olympic sports (though a number of countries evaded that, which is what led to the rules being abandoned.)
grumpopotamus 10y ago
The amateur restrictions in the Olympics have been mostly phased out. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_sports#Olympics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_sports#Olympics: Olympic regulations regarding amateur status of athletes were eventually abandoned in the 1990s with the exception of wrestling, where the rules for participation still require amateur status rather than professional status for the safety of the participants. For the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics professionals will be allowed to compete in boxing.

by zhemao 10y ago

chrisseaton 10y ago

> that's assuming your sport is in both the summer and winter events Are any sports in both?

zhemao 10y ago
I thought indoor sports like basketball were in both. But I guess that's not the case. So basically, you can only participate in the Olympics once every four years if you're lucky.
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > I thought indoor sports like basketball were in both. But I guess that's not the case. So basically, you can only participate in the Olympics once every four years if you're lucky. Well, you can do it every two years if you are a multisport athlete with at least one sport in each summer and winter games. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_athletes_who_competed_in_both_the_Summer_and_Winter_Olympic_games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_athletes_who_competed_...

ZacharyPitts 10y ago

The amateur restrictions were removed in 1986, and professional athletes have been allowed to compete in the Olympics since then. Hence the 1992 NBA "Dream Team" competing and so on.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> And that's assuming your sport is in both the summer and winter events Which none are. > If their sport is popular, they should be able to make enough money by competing in other events outside the Olympics. Until fairly recently (and still for wrestling; boxing, IIRC, was another hold out until this Olympics) amateur status requirements prohibited that in most Olympic sports (though a number of countries evaded that, which is what led to the rules being abandoned.)

grumpopotamus 10y ago

The amateur restrictions in the Olympics have been mostly phased out. According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_sports#Olympics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_sports#Olympics: Olympic regulations regarding amateur status of athletes were eventually abandoned in the 1990s with the exception of wrestling, where the rules for participation still require amateur status rather than professional status for the safety of the participants. For the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics professionals will be allowed to compete in boxing.