$10m on line at inaugural Ultimate Championship
Track and field's international governing body has introduced the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, an innovative biennial meet offering an unprecedented $10 million purse without awarding medals. Scheduled for September 11-13 in Budapest and broadcast by the BBC, the meeting bridges an otherwise vacant gap in an athletics calendar that lacks an Olympic or World Championship climax.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe framed the project, which has been in development for three years following the collapse of Michael Johnson's financially distressed Grand Slam Track circuit, as an experimental trial to modernise the sport and attract younger demographics. The event replaces standard stadium aesthetics with a red carpet and a black infield, while featuring Noah Lyles acting as master of ceremonies alongside Armand Duplantis targeting further vaulting milestones.
Contested across three evening sessions lasting three hours apiece, the programme features 28 finals and restricts entry to global titlists, Diamond League winners, and top-ranked competitors. While field competitions as well as distance races over 1,500m and 5,000m bypass heats entirely, sprints up to 800m retain semi-finals.
Special invitations have also been extended to prominent rivals who missed automatic qualification, securing spots for both Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men's 1,500 metres.
