World Athletics president Sebastian Coe's decision to award prize money to Olympic gold medalists may have been welcomed by athletes but the move has upset some of his fellow federation bosses and surprised seasoned observers of the Games.
Coe put the cat among the pigeons when he announced last week that track and field gold medalists at the Paris Games this year will receive $50,000 (€47,000), a first for a federation at an Olympics.
The total prize fund of $2.4 million will come from the International Olympic Committee's revenue share allocation that World Athletics receives every four years.