In a landmark moment for disability sport, the London Marathon has committed to become the first in the world to offer equal prize money to its wheelchair and able-bodied athletes.
The world renowned race was already a forerunner in terms of the prize money on offer to wheelchair competitors, with the £200,000 fund available in 2023 cementing the London Marathon wheelchair racers as the richest in the world.
This year though, organisers have gone a step further, with an increase of £43,000 bringing the total prize money pool to £243,000, on par with able-bodied athletes.
That money will see all winners of the 2024 London Marathon, be they wheelchair or able bodied athletes, claim £43,500, with second place securing £24,000 and third £18,000.
40 years on from our first wheelchair race, the TCS London Marathon has become the first marathon in the world to give equal prize money for elite disabled and non-disabled athletes.
Six time winner @Tanni_GT explains what this means for sport 👇
Info ▶️ https://t.co/pELQQwAvhv pic.twitter.com/qL1kictWeN— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) February 22, 2024
What have people have about this London Marathon announcement?
Speaking on the announcement, event director of the London Marathon, Hugh Brasher touched on how they were “delighted to continue our commitment to disability sport” and why this was such an important move for them to take.
"We are proud of our history in championing participants with disabilities, from introducing our first wheelchair race in 1983 to hosting the IPC World Championships on multiple occasions and providing a pathway from the Mini London Marathon to the London Marathon and beyond for Paralympic legends such as David Weir,” he says.
David Weir crosses the line in fifth place, finishing his 24th #LondonMarathon
Remarkable effort from the British athlete 🙌
Watch all the coverage LIVE now on @BBCOne & @BBCiPlayer: https://t.co/HTxLOtToij #BBCMarathon #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/9SDYmN0Bhz— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 23, 2023
“This landmark move ensures the prize money available to our elite wheelchair athletes is exactly the same as for those in the able-bodied elite races.
"We have made great strides in recent years towards our ambition to make the London Marathon the most diverse and equitable marathon in the world and this is another important step towards achieving that goal."
Activity Alliance, England’s national charity for disabled people in sport and activity, have been among those to lead the applause for the news.
Their CEO, Adam Blaze, described it as a “huge positive step in making sports and physical activity fairer” and that in terms of the wheelchair race at the London Marathon they are “extremely proud to have seen it develop into the superb competition it is today.”
Similarly, British wheelchair racing legend David Weir, who will compete in his 25th consecutive London Marathon this year, also recognised the move to parity and called for more races to follow suit.
"It's a very exciting year for me and for wheelchair racing,” he says.
“[They've] has set the bar for parity across the racing divisions.
“This is a huge benchmark for disability sport and I hope other races and sporting bodies can take note."
MADISON DE ROZARIO 🥇
Paralympic Champion 👏👏👏👏
What a race! What a champion! First Australian woman to win the @Paralympics Marathon @AUSParalympics #ausparalympics #Marathon #Tokyo2020
Love to @madiderozario from all of us at @minerva_network ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/7EFIqvTOsq— sam mostyn (@sammostyn) September 4, 2021
On the women’s side, reigning champion Madison de Rozario, from Australia talked about the impact this might have.
“We often say that sport is a mirror to society, but it can also be the starting point for much larger change and that's what the London Marathon is doing here,” she says.
“This decision doesn't just affect the athletes lining up in London in April, it has an overflow effect to not just how every other event values athletes with a disability, but how we view the 15 percent of the global population living with disability.”
The Marathon takes place on Sunday, April 21st, 2024.
