U.S. Paralympians Criticize USOC For Less Funding Than Olympians
Many U.S. Paralympians have criticized the USOC for "providing less direct financial assistance and other benefits at lower levels to Paralympic athletes than to Olympians in comparable sports," according to a front-page piece by Alan Schwarz of the N.Y. TIMES. The USOC "awards smaller quarterly training stipends and medal bonuses to Paralympic athletes," and benefits "like free health insurance, which help athletes devote more hours to training, are available to a smaller percentage of Paralympians." The USOC contends that "equitable support to Paralympic athletes is unrealistic because the agency receives almost no government assistance, and Paralympic success does not generate enough increased revenue." USOC Chief Communications Officer Darryl Seibel said that the organization's "support for Paralympic athletes has grown markedly: to $11.4[M] this year from $3[M] in 2004, in contrast with a relatively modest bump in Olympic funding." Seibel: "I see $3[M] going up to $11[M] and say that's not too bad -- that's a good direction. We care more about the Paralympics than we ever have before." Schwarz noted while "line-by-line comparisons are difficult because programs have different designs, almost every form of support that a Paralympic contender receives is considerably less than that given to a similarly situated Olympian." In '07, members of the U.S. Paralympic track & field team "were given either $1,000 or $2,000 in stipends to help defray the cost of training; similar Olympic hopefuls received [$10,000-15,000]."
BONUS BUST: Some contend that the "most striking difference between the funding of Paralympic and Olympic athletes ... is in the cash bonuses given for top performances." Olympic Gold Medalists at the Beijing Games "received $25,000 from the USOC and often additional money from their national governing body," while Paralympic Gold Medalists "will get $5,000 from the USOC." Int'l Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven called the U.S. "slower to react" to Paralympic support than numerous other nations. Craven: "I find it strange in the 21st century. We would expect of the U.S. to be one of the leading nations when it comes to this sort of principle." USOC Chief of Paralympics Charlie Huebner: "We are very much focusing on growing the Paralympic movement in the [U.S.]. That is no doubt complicated. The reality is that we also don't have unlimited resources" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/6).
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