Former Olympic champion Kurt Angle mentions the need for supporting athletes ahead of LA Olympics 2028 [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

"We don't have that luxury here in the United States"- Kurt Angle weighs in on lack of support as he shares struggles faced by Olympic athletes

Modified Nov 21, 2024 05:54 GMT

2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are four years away, but Kurt Angle is more than excited for the quadrennial event. The WWE wrestling sensation talked about the lack of support for the Olympic athletes, especially in the USA's case in the past few years.

In the interview with Newsweek Sports, Angle talked about the need to support the Olympic athletes ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics, to be held in 2028.

"Countries like Russia, China, and many other countries, their governments pay their Olympic athletes to train and compete full time. Their athletes don't have to get jobs, don't have to make a living. All they have to do is train and compete and they're taken care of. We don't have that luxury here in the United States," Angle mentioned.

Angle also talked about why he had been raising money for the athletes preparing for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028.

"If you want the United States of America to continue to dominate like they have been in the overall medal count -- they've been placing in the Top 3 for the past four years -- If you want them to continue to do that, we're gonna have to do our part," Angle added.

The Summer Olympics will return to the USA after 44 years, having previously hosted the quadrennial event in 1932 and 1984. The Los Angeles Olympics are scheduled to be held from July 14 to July 30, 2028.

Kurt Angle on the struggles faced at the Atlanta Olympics

Kurt Angle [L] in action at the Atlanta Olympics 1996 [Image Source : Getty]

Kurt Angle also talked about his struggles as an athlete representing the USA at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The WWE legend had once represented the USA in freestyle wrestling at the Atlanta Olympics, where he won the gold medal by defeating Abbas Jadidi of Iran by a narrow margin.

Angle mentioned how his dreams were nearly ruined by a neck injury while speaking in an interview with Newsweek Sports. He said:

"For me, it was really stressful because I had the broken neck and I knew that I was under a lot of distress.I knew the chances for me to win an Olympic gold medal were dwindling because when I injured my neck, I was told by a doctor that I couldn't compete, that I was done wrestling, " he mentioned.

However, Angle did not give up and won a gold medal in the 100kg freestyle wrestling event. He also talked about the financial difficulties he had to endure before the Atlanta Olympics.

"When I was training for the Olympics, I put on spaghetti dinner fundraisers. I sold autographed photos, I sold autographed t-shirts, and I had sponsors step up for me. I made ends meet. It's not that I made a lot of money, but I made enough that I could focus on my training and competition and not have to work for a living," he added.

Kurt Angle also won a gold medal at the 1995 World Championships held in Atlanta. Though he first participated in a professional wrestling event in 1996, it wasn't until 1998 that he formally joined WWE.