Track and field has had a whirlwind of a season this year. After the upset wins and thrilling races in the French capital, all eyes are now on the Diamond League 2024. Many elite athletes have made their way to the tracks for the title of Wanda Diamond League Champion. The Zurich meet concluded on September 5, and all the finalists will now head over to Brussels to battle it out over 2 days at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme in Brussels. However, DL has now found itself in the eye of the storm.

On September 3, track legend Carl Lewis left everyone gob-smacked by stating, “I’m not a fan of the Diamond League.” One fan particularly pointed out that several elite athletes earned prizes at the meet. But the 63-year-old hit them back with, “The Diamond League has always been about collusion and lowering athletes’ control and pay, it needs to go.” While this statement caused a stir, he wasn’t done yet.

The former track and field athlete said, “@WorldAthletics has the opportunity to create a great event with the end-of-the-year competition coming soon. Then, put their full support behind the new events coming.” But many fans couldn’t move past his concern over the athletes’ pay at the Diamond League. It’s no secret that many winners often walk away with a cash prize. But looking at the disparity between certain track and field events, it’s no surprise Carl Lewis is displeased.

According to a post by RoriDunk on X, DL ranks the lowest with their cash purse. At the Grand Slam Track, winners take away a whopping $100,000. The World Athletics Championships and Athlos come close with $70,000 and $60,000, respectively. But the first-prize winner at DL (barring the Wanda Diamond League Champion) takes home $10,000. So, do the athletes get to enjoy any other benefits?

Athletes traveling to any Diamond League meet have their travel expenses looked after by the race organizer. But this solely depends on their level. However, this isn’t organized by the athletes; their agents and the meet directors often take care of this. But in certain circumstances, many receive travel budgets from their sponsors as well. According to the Diamond League Meetings Regulations 2024, their transport to and from the hotel, train station, airport, and stadium must all be complied with by the organizer.

Diamond League regulations don’t sit well with the track and field community

After Carl Lewis called out the meet, several fans rushed over to voice their confusion. One fan stated, “They do get appearance fees and travel expenses covered as well, prize money isn’t the only income.” While the former athlete had a bone to pick with the cash prize, and several fans pointed out that elite athletes are often looked after on top of that. But not every fan seems to agree with them.

However, another fan pointed out, “So where is all the money then? U.K. athletics are skint and are asking athletes to fund their own hotels. Sending skeleton squads to championships. What is the income of this event? Athletes need to start breaking their non-disclosure contracts and say what they are on. Bidding wars from the brands. That is if there is any money in the sport to start with.” What could this possibly mean?

A fan pointed out, “8th pace gets 500 bucks. And I thought the pay in boxing and ufc was shitty.” As per the Wanda Diamond League rules, each winner walks away with $10,000, but this only applies to each individual meet. At the finals, the cash prize for all eight finalists differs. While the winner receives $30,000, the 8th place will get $1000. Another fan chimed in, “Not enough. I’m surprised athletes show up to compete.” Maybe this fan is onto something?

One fan exclaimed, “The diamond hasn’t increased its prize money since 2010. It’s still 10k for first place. They could do a better job at providing bonuses. The Golden League last place was like 7.5 to 10k The Golden League had a million-dollar jackpot. Also, I think we will see more big-time regular season meets in cities like New York Atlanta Las Vegas Miami Dallas. Newer leagues and one-off meets will become a thing.” Many fans believe that with the demands of the Diamond League meet, the cash prize doesn’t justify their efforts in return. Do you agree with the fans?