Organisers will dig deep for Bolt to run at Bislett
DANIA BOGLE, Observer staff reporter bogled@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Organisers of the ExxonMobil Bislett Games IAAF Golden League meet in Oslo, Norway, say they are prepared to pay triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt more money than any other athlete has ever been paid to appear if he races there on July 3 next year.
Meet Director and European Athletics vice-president, Svein Arne Hansen, made the revelation to the Observer during the recent IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany.
“I think he was unbelievable at the Olympics as we all know in Jamaica, in Norway and in the rest of the world and I think he is going to be the highest paid athlete for taking part in the future if he continues his success from this year,” Hansen confirmed to the Observer by phone from his base in Norway yesterday.
The 22-year-old Bolt smashed the 12-year-old 200m world record, clocking 19.30 seconds for victory at the Olympics in August, just days after lowering his own mark to win the 100m in 9.69 seconds. He was also a member of the Jamaica’s victorious 4x100m world record Olympic team in Beijing.
“He was the big name coming out of the Olympics,” Hansen declared.
He was reluctant to say what was the record appearance fee any athlete has ever been paid to compete at the Games, but said among the highest paid are former world record-holder Asafa Powell, former 200m and reigning 400m world record-holder Michael Johnson, many-time Olympic medallist Carl Lewis, and disgraced sprinter Marion Jones.
In 2001, the Bislett Games organisers agreed to pay Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene a US$75,000 appearance fee.
Athletes with a world record as well as an Olympic medal may demand as much as US$100,000 in appearance fees alone. In addition, the prize for winning a race at a Golden League meet is US$16,000.
“This is very small compared to what he (Bolt) will be getting (if he runs),” Hansen told the Observer.
Bolt has never competed at the Bislett Games, though Hansen told the Observer the lanky sprinter was invited to the meet on June 6 this year, but changed plans after he broke the world record (9.72 seconds) in winning at the Reebok Grand Prix meet in New York on May 31 less than a week before.
Six Golden League meetings are held each year - ISTAF (Berlin), ExxonMobil Bislett Games (Oslo), Meeting Gaz de France (Paris), Golden Gala (Rome), Weltklasse (Zurich), and Memorial Van Damme (Brussels).
Athletes who win their respective events at all six meets take home all or a part of the US$1-million Golden League jackpot on offer.
Only the men’s 100m was eligible for the jackpot this season, but Hansen said Bolt could run in whichever event that he owns the world record, be it 100m or 200m.
“He can decide… we will welcome him in Oslo,” said Hansen.
They must, however, also compete at the season-ending IAAF World Athletics Final to be eligible to collect the million-dollar prize.
Sports Illustrated magazine in 1999 ranked Bislett stadium as the fifth best sports venue of the 20th century.