Sat. 05 Apr 2025
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Date: 04-apr-2025
Image Credit: By Kb1367 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson has officially launched the Grand Slam Track – a new professional track and field league designed to bring more consistent, elite-level competition to global athletics between Olympic cycles. The league was announced in early April 2025 and is already drawing major attention from fans, athletes, and sports broadcasters worldwide.
The Grand Slam Track League will feature four major events from April through June 2025, with competitions hosted in various global cities. The league offers a total prize pool of $12.5 million, aiming to raise the financial standards for professional runners and field athletes. It is positioned as a high-stakes, storytelling-driven competition that complements — rather than replaces — existing championships like the World Athletics events or the Olympics.
Several globally renowned athletes are confirmed to participate in the inaugural season, including:
With such names attached, the league has already positioned itself as a serious contender in the global athletics calendar.
The league has secured broadcasting agreements in 189 countries, including coverage on major sports networks in North America, Europe, and Africa. Johnson emphasized the need for stronger narrative storytelling to engage casual fans — not just those who tune in every four years for the Olympics.
“We want fans to connect with the athletes — their challenges, their rivalries, their breakthroughs,” said Johnson. “It’s about delivering elite competition, yes, but also making it meaningful and memorable beyond the stopwatch.”
Track and field has long faced challenges in maintaining audience engagement outside of Olympic years. The Grand Slam Track League hopes to address that gap by:
The first event of the Grand Slam Track League is set to take place later this April, with full line-ups and venues to be announced soon. The initiative already has the backing of sponsors, broadcasters, and a growing global fanbase.
Michael Johnson’s latest move may just redefine how track and field is experienced in the modern sports era — not once every four years, but all year long.
04 Apr 2025
