Wheelchair athletes in the TCS London Marathon will be awarded equal prize money to the non-disabled athletes for the first time since the wheelchair race began 41 years ago.
The race on Sunday, April 21 will be the first marathon in the world to offer equal prize funds, after increasing the prize pot for the wheelchair races by £43,000 to a total of £244.000.
“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,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the TCS London Marathon.
“We are delighted to continue our commitment to disability sport with this landmark move that 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 TCS London Marathon the most diverse and equitable marathon in the world and this is another important step towards achieving that goal.”
All winners in the elite races will now receive £43,400, with the runner-up earning £23,700. The news has been described as a huge moment for fairness and equality in disability sport by Activity Alliance, the national charity for disabled people in sport and activity.
“As the leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity, we strive for everyone to have fair access to opportunities,” said Adam Blaze, Chief Executive Officer at Activity Alliance.
“To see the TCS London Marathon lead the way and create equal prize money is a huge positive step in making sports and physical activity fairer.
“For many years we have supported the wheelchair athletes’ race through our events team and watched many mini marathoners turn into elite superstars. We are extremely proud to have seen it develop into the superb competition it is today.”
British wheelchair racing legend David Weir will be racing his 25th consecutive London Marathon this year after graduating from the Mini London Marathon races. He is the most decorated athlete in the event’s history with a total of eight wins and says London’s move to creating parity in the elite race prize pots is something he hopes other events can follow.
“It’s a very exciting year for me and for wheelchair racing, again London Marathon has set the bar for parity across the racing divisions,” said Weir (pictured above).
“This is a huge benchmark for disability sport and I hope other races and sporting bodies can take note.”
For more information on the TCS London Marathon https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/
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