To assist National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with the financial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) is providing funding worth $11.65m (£9.2m/€10.3m) available.
The lump sum will be distributed to various NOCs through each of the five Continental Associations, with the funds aimed at helping NOCs cover the additional athlete training and preparation costs associated with the delay of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
‘All 206 NOCs should benefit either directly, through NOC funding on a case-by-case basis for exceptional needs, or indirectly, via Continental Association’s Tokyo 2020 specific projects (e.g. training camps or athlete preparation programmes,’ reads the ANOC statement dated June 8th, which you can read in its entirety here.
Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell said, “We are committed to helping NOCs and their athletes prepare for Tokyo 2020 by providing additional funding that will assist NOCs with the exceptional costs associated with the year delay of the Games. The Technical Working Group has agreed the distribution of the funding in the fairest and most effective way possible to ensure all NOCs benefit directly or indirectly. ANOC is committed to serving, promoting and protecting the interests of the NOCs and we will continue to work to assist them in any way we can.”
The ANOC Tokyo 2020 funds will be audited by each of the Continental Associations auditors and financial reports on NOC use of funds will be provided.
This isn’t the first instance of increased funding distributed to NOCs due to a delayed Games. In April we reported that Olympic Solidarity pledged additional funds in the form of International Olympic Committee (IOC) subsidies.