Not sure why you were downvoted for the original question, it's a reasonable query. In most sports, there isn't really a formal distinction between elite or co

Not sure why you were downvoted for the original question, it's a reasonable query. In most sports, there isn't really a formal distinction between elite or competitive or whatever. Professional just means paid, elite or not (lots of golf pros would not be elite by most people's definition). Anyways, in my little corner of athletics (local 5k-10k running, mountain biking), if a promotor has an "elite" category, it's usually just the name for the fastest wave of athletes. They probably get a front-row start, at a marathon they might have their own hydration/nutrition at aid stations, and they may or may not receive an appearance fee. Local running clubs (competitive ones) tend to have "elite" divisions, where athletes must qualify by pace/results, and this gets them club-funded event entries and possibly travel expenses. In mountain biking, at least outside the realm of international sanctioning bodies, the fastest category is often labelled "expert/elite" or similar and athletes self-select into it (vs sport/intermediate, beginner, masters 45+, or other categories).