Record €3.5m prize fund for the 2028 European Athletics Championships in Silesia

[ArcMage14]

European Athletics has announced a record prize fund of €3.5 million, roughly £3m, for the 2028 European Championships in Silesia. It will be the first time Poland has hosted the event, which is the 28th edition of the championships. Gold medallists will get €30,000 each, and money will now go to everyone finishing in the top eight across all 50 disciplines. Relay teams will share their prize money between the squad

This is a big change from how things worked in Rome in 2024 and Birmingham this summer. Under the old Gold Crown idea, a pot of €500,000 was split into ten bonuses of €50,000 for the highest scoring performances based on World Athletics tables. That meant plenty of medallists went home with nothing extra at all, while a handful of standout marks were rewarded very well. The new setup treats every event equally, which feels much fairer to the lower profile disciplines

It is still worth keeping perspective though. World Athletics put up $10m for its new three day Ultimate Championship in Budapest, with $150,000 going to each event winner. By comparison €30,000 for a European title looks modest, and reports suggest eighth place will collect around €1,000. For an athlete paying for coaching, physio and travel, that bottom end is not going to change their year

Timing is interesting as well because 2028 is an Olympic year with LA taking centre stage. Top athletes plan their seasons around the Games, and the Diamond League final plus another Ultimate Championship are also on the calendar. Money might be the tool European Athletics is using to stop its flagship event being treated as an afterthought. Whether that works depends on how close it sits to the Olympics

On balance I think it is a welcome step even if it will not transform anyone's bank balance. Paying the top eight rewards the athletes who reach finals and fight for places, not just the stars. Would this make a difference to whether you tuned in or whether the big names turn up? Keen to hear views, especially from anyone who follows the sport closely

European Athletics Championships to have £3m record prize fund in 2028www.bbc.co.uk

[Patrick94]

Paying down to eighth place is the best part of this for me. Finalists in events like the steeplechase or the hammer rarely see any prize money outside the Diamond League. A thousand euros is not much, but it is recognition that making a European final matters. It sets a principle that can grow over time

[AntMan]

€30k for gold at a continental championship is fairly thin when you compare it to $150k in Budapest. The stars will still pick the Ultimate Championship if they have to choose

[SilverSurfer]

Birmingham's Gold Crown system always felt odd to me. You could win a gold medal and get nothing while someone in a different event with a better scoring table mark walked off with €50k. Nobody outside the sport understood it

This new format is at least something you can explain to a casual fan. Gold, silver, bronze and down the line, simple

[Liam]

An Olympic year is always going to be tricky for the Europeans. Coaches will be protecting athletes for LA and some will skip it no matter what the cheque says

Still, for the athletes ranked tenth to twentieth in the world, a European medal plus a bit of cash is a very realistic target. Those are the people this change helps most

[StringTheory98]

Who is funding it though? The announcement talks about the European Athletics Council approving it but not much about where the money comes from. If it is the host region or a sponsor, it might not be repeated in 2030. Athletics has a habit of announcing record figures that quietly disappear later. I hope this one sticks

[Red Wrench]

Poland is a great choice of host because the crowds there are superb for athletics. Silesia has staged plenty of big meetings over the years and the atmosphere gets properly loud. Home favourites like Pia Skrzyszowska will be buzzing about it

[Rosie_81]

About time track and field started sorting out proper prize money. Three and a half million is a massive step up compared to what athletes usually get thrown for major championships, but when you look at the billions floating around in football or tennis it still feels a bit pocket change. At least European Athletics is heading in the right direction though

Silesia is definitely a solid pick for it as well. Every time Diamond League or the Silesia Skolimowska Memorial rolls around down there, the stadium is packed out with people who actually understand the sport and make proper noise. Beats running in front of three men and a dog like you sometimes see at other venues.