Five $5,000 (£3,600/€4,100) grants will be available to National Olympians Associations (NOAs) to apply for funding for programmes that directly benefit the ongoing development of Olympians in their country.

The new scheme, known as "Service to Olympians", was approved by the WOA Executive Committee, which held its quarterly meeting here during the Winter Olympic Games.

During the meeting, a workshop was run with Olympians to finalise the scope and timing of the programme.

"We are proud to announce this new initiative, which, we hope, will make a positive difference to the lives of Olympians," WOA President Joël Bouzou said.

"We are committed to supporting Olympians to reach their potential at all stages of their lives.

"Through our WOA Service to Olympians grant programme, we can empower Olympians to be leaders in their communities and to use the skills and experience they have gained through years of striving to compete at the top of their sport to help make the world a better place."

This initiative sits alongside the WOA Service to Society grant programme, launched in 2016 to help fund Olympian-led, sustainable community projects that align with the promotion of the Olympic values.

Six NOAs were awarded Service to Society grants in the inaugural round of funding in 2017.

Applications for the new Service to Olympians grants are due to open in April 2018.

The WOA’s remit is to represent the more than 100,000 living Olympians throughout the world.

It claims to work for the benefit of all Olympians at all stages of their lives.

There are 148 NOAs spread across all five continents.

They organise events for Olympians and run projects, based on the Olympic ideals laid down by International Olympic Committee founder Pierre de Coubertin, that help their local communities.