Several American athletes have spoken out about the effects of hot inflation on their training for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A report on the consumer price index back in May had shown prices were up nearly 20% since January of 2021.
Several members of the United States track and field team spent months leading up to the games pointing out how inflation, combined with the fact they are not paid like athletes in other countries, was quite a constraint on their efforts.
Sprinter Fred Kerley, scheduled to compete in the coming days, was quite vocal about the cost of living for athletes last month.
“I feel like if I was from a different country I’d be living like a king. But living in America, you know how the world and America work at home, a lot of us struggling day in to day out,” Kerley said.
Kerley won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 100-meter run.
RELATED: Caitlin Clark Stays Cool and Classy Over Olympics Snub
Inflation Hurting American Athletes Training For The Olympics?
Kerley may have been the most edgy with his comments about inflation hurting the US Olympic team, but he wasn’t the only one saying it was a serious detriment.
Tara Davis-Woodhall, a hurdler and long-jump specialist, spoke to reporters at the USOPC Media Summit on April 17th, and had similar complaints.
“Probably, absolutely,” she said when asked if inflation puts Americans at a disadvantage. “It was expensive before as a track athlete, but now it’s like uber expensive, and there’s no money being paid to us.”
“It’s hard to have a day job and perform at our best each and every day,” Kerley later added. “They got to focus on [making] money or to do something they love.”
Davis-Woodhall pointed out what athletes, like many Americans in general, are having to do to survive the inflation crunch.
“I know plenty of people who have second jobs. I know plenty who are trying to scrape coins and ask their parents for money and ask if their sponsors could give a little bit more,” she said.
RELATED: Snoop Dogg Rocks Simone Biles T-Shirt at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Imagine What They’d Be Doing Without The Financial Constraints
American athletes who compete in the Olympics are not directly paid by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) or the federal government for their participation.
Some earn stipends for winning medals, though the amounts are not excessively large.
Imagine if the athletes didn’t have to take on day jobs, or multiple jobs, in this economy. How much more they might excel at the Paris Olympic Games.
Even with that financial burden, the United States is currently leading the medal count at the Olympics. So far, America leads with 26 medals, followed by host country France with 17 and China with 14.
More about:Athletics
Read This Next
