IOC scraps 130 years of tradition by paying athletes $10,000 at Olympics

Athletes who took part in the Winter Games in Milano-Cortina this year will be the first to receive payment from the IOC. Photograph: Gian Mattia D’Alberto/LaPresse/Shutterstock

The International Olympic Committee has broken with 130 years of tradition by deciding to pay athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.

Starting with the recent Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, all competitors will be entitled to a $10,000 (£7,600) grant from the IOC regardless of whether they are NBA stars or on the poverty line.