Mexico City, Mexico – The Residence of France provided the setting for Ana Gabriela Guevara, director of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE), to announce the monetary prizes for Mexican athletes who achieve podium finishes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This announcement comes just 15 days before the opening of the Games.
“The purse should be around 30 million pesos. There are always 30 million in reserve, thinking about whether they are gold, silver, or bronze,” said Guevara. This declaration sets a precedent for the incentives athletes can expect based on their performance in Paris.
Each Mexican athlete will receive 3 million pesos for winning a gold medal, 2 million pesos for a silver medal, and 1 million pesos for a bronze medal. These amounts are significantly higher than the rewards given at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where gold medalists received 480,000 pesos, silver medalists 420,000 pesos, and bronze medalists 300,000 pesos. Additionally, all participants in Tokyo received 240,000 pesos regardless of their results, a practice that might be re-evaluated for Paris.
The Mexican delegation for Paris 2024 consists of 107 athletes across 108 events, making it the fourth largest in the Americas, trailing only behind the United States, Brazil, and Canada. The first group of Mexican athletes will arrive at the Olympic Village between July 18 and 20, with some traveling directly from training bases in Barcelona, Madrid, and Zurich.
The announcement was made in the presence of several journalists, during an event that honored 11 Mexican athletes who have previously won Olympic and Paralympic medals. The awards were presented by Delphine Borione, the French ambassador to Mexico, and Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations.
In related news, Proceso magazine revealed that CONADE had requested reservations at the five-star Barriere Le Fouquet hotel in Paris, located near the Champs Elysees. This sparked controversy over the expenses involved, with CONADE denying a 1.2 million peso debt with the Mexican Olympic Committee (COM) for the lodging of officials.
According to a statement from CONADE, “Accommodation for representatives of participating countries in certain hotels is a recommendation of the local Organizing Committee and it is not mandatory to use them. Last January, Conade notified the COM that it unilaterally reserved accommodation for representatives of the Commission, which did not require accommodation for its head or for its public servants accompanying the Mexican delegation.”
The dispute stems from an email dated August 9, 2022, in which CONADE requested the COM to reserve three rooms in the host hotel for sports ministers and officials during the Olympics. However, no payment was made, leading to further disagreement.
“Conade reiterates that it does not approve the payment of around 42,000 pesos per night that the COM wanted to impose on public servants of the government institution. The Commission rejects the payment of more than 1,200,000 pesos that the COM proposed for lodging in Paris for public servants during their stay,” read the statement.
Ana Guevara confirmed she would travel to Paris on July 24 and remain for the entirety of the Games, emphasizing her commitment to supporting the Mexican delegation and ensuring a successful participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
As Mexico’s athletes prepare to compete on the world stage, the announcement of these substantial monetary prizes aims to motivate and reward their hard work and dedication, fostering a sense of national pride and ambition.
