The International Athletics Federation announced today that it has created a $ 500,000 fund to help professional athletes, who are experiencing financial difficulties due to the emerging Corona virus, to adopt an idea launched by former Moroccan and international athlete Hicham El Guerrouj.
In a statement, the International Federation stated that it is leading this initiative in partnership with the International Athletics Association, which was established in 1986 to support charitable causes related to the sport of (the mother of games).
He added that "a group of experts working from several regions, headed by Sebastian Coe, President of the International Federation, will be charged with the responsibility of evaluating the requests for assistance submitted by the six continental federations." ".
"Our professional athletes depend on the prize money they earn as part of their income, and we realize that our competition season, whether on the track or the road, is strongly affected by the epidemic," said Ku.
Athletics competitions around the world have been suspended due to the Covid-19 virus, such as the Diamond League, the most important competition in Mother of Sports.
El Guerrouj, the world record holder in the 1500-meter, was the owner of the idea of creating this fund, which was supported by the Prince of Monaco Albert, President of the International Athletics Association.
"This epidemic is causing economic hardship to people from all parts of society, including athletes," commented El Guerrouj, adding, "I am delighted that Seib (Sebastian Co) and the IAAF have responded very positively to my proposal."