After the organization revealed reward money to gold medalists at the greatest sporting event of the year, Nigerian Olympians Chioma Ajunwa and Enefiok Udo-Obong feel the World Athletics has made a great stride and is headed in the right direction, according to PUNCH Sports Extra. The two former sprinters added that they hoped other international sports organizations would follow World Athletics' lead and that the action would improve competitiveness in the athletics competitions in Paris.

There will be 48 athletics competitions in Paris, and the gold medal winners in relay races will split the prize money. World Athletics said on Wednesday that the international governing body has made available a total prize fund of $2.4 million for the Olympics in Paris this summer. The gold medallists would get $50,000 (N62 million).

It was also mentioned that this would also apply to the silver and bronze medal winners at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. "It's a great step for them to announce that there will be rewards for gold medallists but I would have loved them to give a token to other athletes who make the podium," said Ajunwa, the first-ever gold medallist from Nigeria in an interview with PUNCH Sports Extra.

The first time this happens, so Udo-Obong says, "It's a good move. It should be encouraged, but I also hope that international federations emulate the World Athletics by supporting their athletes at the Olympics."Professionals now compete in the Olympics, so gone are the days when people said it was all about amateurism. It makes sense for players to receive certain incentives because the TV money is also there. Lord Coe, president of World Athletics, described the choice as a "pivotal moment."

Coe stated, "We are committed to empowering the athletes and acknowledging the critical role they play in the success of any Olympic Games. The introduction of prize money for Olympic gold medallists is a pivotal moment for World Athletics and the sport of athletics as a whole." "I believe it is important we start somewhere and ensure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle, even though it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal or on the commitment and focus it takes even to represent your country at an Olympic Games."