Why Chalmers was right to fire up at IOC over athlete funding

Updated June 12, 2026 — 5:50pm,first published June 11, 2026 — 10:57pm

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Laugh all you want about the Enhanced Games and the lack of world records broken last month, but be warned: a serious reality check could be coming for Olympic sport, and Australian swimming in particular.

Kyle Chalmers’ scathing remarks on Thursday night about the lack of financial incentives for athletes should put sporting governing bodies on high alert.

James Magnussen hauling himself back into the pool after years of retirement for some cash and free peptides is easy to dismiss. The prospect of genuine Australian Olympic medal contenders defecting to the Enhanced Games because of the money on offer is not.

Not to dope, but to race clean for life-changing prizemoney.

Behind the scenes, athletes – swimmers in particular – are increasingly frustrated by what they see as a lack of financial reward from the International Olympic Committee.

FIFA will splurge $1.3b on World Cup prizemoney. It’s time Olympic athletes were paid fairly, too

Darren KaneSports Columnist

Comments by IOC president Kirsty Coventry that she did not believe in paying Olympians – which she later clarified as opposition to Olympic prizemoney rather than athlete funding more broadly – were met with disbelief by many competitors. Athletes believe they are not receiving a fair share from a multi-billion-dollar organisation that profits from their performances every four years.

Last month, Australian Olympian and Sydney 2000 hero Liesel Jones questioned whether the sacrifices required to reach the top were even worth it, bluntly........

© Brisbane Times