[Exclusive] “Tough to Be an Olympic Athlete”: Anita Alvarez Opens Up on Struggles of Synchronized Swimming in USA

As athletes gear up for the Paris Olympics in less than a month, there’s been a lot of buzz in sports like gymnastics and track and field, especially about how athletes are compensated. In the USA, track and field, despite some criticism, there’s hope as athletes head to Paris with the chance to earn prize money at the trials. Sadly, elite US gymnasts like Simone Biles haven’t been as lucky—they earn zilch in prize money on their road to the Olympics. Even though Simone Biles rocked 2023, she didn’t see a dime in prizes, but she did rake in a cool $8.5 million from sponsorships. Swimming, though, tells a different tale with a splash of cash.

Events like the 2024 Doha World Aquatics Championships dished out over $5.6 million in prize money last year across various contests. Yet, when it comes to sponsorship deals, swimming stars don’t always dive into the same fortune. Anita Alvarez, a two-time Olympian in synchronized swimming, spilled the beans in an exclusive chat with EssentiallySports about the financial side of things for athletes in her sport. Anita Alvarez pointed out that in events like World Cups and World Championships, prize money in artistic swimming is usually split among all team members because it’s a team sport.

But there’s a silver lining for USA Artistic Swimming: athletes get to keep 100% of their individual prize earnings, which Alvarez thinks is pretty generous compared to other sports. When it comes to sponsorships, though, things get trickier, and Alvarez opened up to EssentiallySports, “For us, yeah, USA Artistic Swimming allows the athletes to get 100 % of the earnings of our prize money, which I think is pretty awesome because not everyone does that. And then outside of that, sponsorships—you know, it’s tough, especially as an Olympic athlete.” 

Anita Alvarez highlighted a common issue with sponsorships: many sponsors focus their support on the Olympic years, ignoring the continuous effort athletes put in over the four-year cycle. She explained, “Some sponsors and brands think that, you know, it’s once every four years, so they reach out during that Olympic year, leading up to the Olympic Games, and then that’s all they want, you know, but really our jobs are going every day.” This creates frustration for athletes like her, who struggle to maintain long-term partnerships outside of the Olympic spotlight.

Alvarez added, “For four years leading up to that point, and we’re competing at the highest level at world championships and world cups and Pan American games and all of that. So yeah, I definitely find it difficult sometimes to keep those, to get those long -term partnerships and deals going.” Despite these challenges, she remains hopeful.

She believes that artistic swimming gains more visibility and popularity, particularly during Olympic seasons, when there is potential for broader audience engagement. This, in turn, could attract more sponsors interested in establishing lasting relationships with athletes beyond the quadrennial Olympic Games. As we reflect on the words of Tonawanda native Anita Alvarez, let’s see how she’s set to make history this year.

Anita Alvarez poised to make swimming history at the Paris Olympics

Qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Anita Alvarez is set to make history as the first three-time Olympian in US artistic swimming. Anita, who’s been a key player in USA artistic swimming for the past decade, has already competed in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She’s part of an all-female team representing the USA in Paris, along with Daniella Ramirez, Megumi Field (duet), Jamie Czarkowski (duet), Jacklyn Luu, Audrey Kwon, Keana Hunter, Ruby Remati, and Calista Liu as the alternate.

These swimming stars will all earn the title ‘Olympian’ when they dive into the pool on August 5th, marking their debut in the French capital. Talking about competing with Team USA in Paris, Anita Alvarez told Olympics.com, “Every time we compete, we gain a new sense of confidence in ourselves and what we plan to show in Paris. It also teaches us that there’s still tons of room to grow.” As fans eagerly await the showdown from Anita Alvarez leading Team USA at the Paris Olympics, what are your thoughts on her insights shared with EssentiallySports? Let us know in the comments below!