Grand Slam Track misses payments to athletes, Michael Johnson ‘confident' of its future
The fourth and final meet of GST's inaugural season, due to take place in Los Angeles in June, was cancelled. Organisers said at the time it was a decision 'rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out to in this pilot season,' however, in a statement issued on Friday, Johnson said it was determined curtailing the season was the 'best thing to do' to avoid further losses and begin the process of 'stabilising the company'.
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The statement read: 'It is incredibly difficult to live with the reality that you've built something bigger than yourself while simultaneously feeling like you've let down the very people you set out to help. However, I have to own that.
'And yes, the cruellest paradox in all of this is we promised that athletes would be fairly and quickly compensated. Yet, here we are struggling with our ability to compensate them.
'We were devastated when we learned we would not receive the funding committed to us. We worked tirelessly alongside our investors and board to find a quick solution to the problem. Up until and even after the LA postponement, we were getting positive signs that a solution was close.'
Johnson added GST 'offered dated payment timelines and have been unable to meet them'.
Upon its formation, GST announced it had $30million in financial commitments from its partners, with primary funding coming from Winners Alliance, an organisation which prioritises athletes' interests.
Three GST events took place in its inaugural season: in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia. The event attempted to bring track athletics into the sporting mainstream between the Olympics, which are held every four years. Athletics' World Championships, meanwhile, is a bi-annual event, and GST incentivised its participants with a sizeable prize pot. The event offered winners of each race $100,000, scaling down to $10,000 for eighth place.
'Understandably, this has led to frustration, disappointment, and inconvenience to our athletes, agents, and vendors,' Johnson said. 'I know this damages trust. I know this makes some wonder if our vision can survive. That is why we are not just addressing the immediate problem; we are putting systems and partnerships in place to make sure it never happens again.'
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Johnson said the 2026 GST season will not take place 'until those obligations are met' and it is prioritising 'satisfying our outstanding debt in order to continue the momentum toward a better future for athletes, fans, and the league,' though stressed the process 'takes time'.
'Despite the challenges of the past few months, I remain confident about the future of Grand Slam Track,' Johnson said.
Since 2010, the most notable global track and field series has been the invitational Diamond League, in which athletes try to accumulate the most points over 14 meetings to qualify for the end-of-season final. The Diamond League said this year's edition will see around $18 million (£13.47 million) paid to athletes, which includes promotional fees for the biggest names.
U.S. athletes Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won GST's Racer of the Year awards after the three events in the 2025 campaign. Both Bednarek and Jefferson-Wooden won the short sprints event, comprising 100m and 200m, in each of the three meets.
(Roger Wimmer/)
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