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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Grand Slam Track cancels final meet of 2025 debut season
FILE PHOTO: May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Alison Dos Santos (BRA), left, Caleb Dean (USA), center, and Trevor Bassitt (USA) run in the 400m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images/File Photo REUTERS NEW YORK - Grand Slam Track cancelled its Los Angeles meet on Thursday as the organisers brought the debut season of the novel athletics circuit to an abrupt end after three events. The Michael Johnson-fronted track series lured in top talent with super-sized prize money but saw poor attendance at its kick-off meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, and later cut its third meet in Philadelphia from three to two days. "The decision to conclude the inaugural Grand Slam Track season is not taken lightly, but one rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out to in this pilot season," Johnson said in a statement. "As we've said all along, we were going to have learnings, make adjustments, and continue to improve. Sometimes we have to make moves that aren't comfortable, but what's most important is the future and sustainability of the league. "The global economic landscape has shifted dramatically in the past year, and this business decision has been made to ensure our long-term stability ..." The economics of the deal with Drake Stadium in Los Angeles was the motivating factor in cancelling what was intended to be the final meet of the year, Grand Slam Track sources told Reuters. Organisers have offered full refunds to any fans who had bought tickets to the June 28-29 Los Angeles meeting and Johnson said the series would return in 2026. "Our attention is now on 2026, with our eyes set on continuing to deliver the best-in-class storytelling, content, and competition," the four-times Olympic champion added. "We are committed to calling Los Angeles home, and look forward to hosting a Slam in LA as part of the 2026 season." Grand Slam was announced ahead of the 2024 Paris Games amid mounting concerns over athlete pay, as World Athletics for the first time paid $50,000 to gold medal winners in a controversial move that bucked 128 years of Olympic tradition. With a whopping $12.6 million in total prize money across what was set to be four meets, Johnson's start-up caught the attention of track's established circuits, as the long-time standard-bearer Diamond League added more to its prize pot. Sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden were awarded the Grand Slam Track Racers of the Year, the statement added. Jefferson-Wooden, who like Bednarek was undefeated over the three meets, said she had no regrets about taking part. "Change is not always easy or accepted, and I'm happy that Michael Johnson found a way to take a leap of faith and build something for the future of our sport," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Grand Slam Track cancels final meet of 2025 debut season
NEW YORK :Grand Slam Track cancelled its Los Angeles meet on Thursday as the organisers brought the debut season of the novel athletics circuit to an abrupt end after three events. The Michael Johnson-fronted track series lured in top talent with super-sized prize money but saw poor attendance at its kick-off meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, and later cut its third meet in Philadelphia from three to two days. "The decision to conclude the inaugural Grand Slam Track season is not taken lightly, but one rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out to in this pilot season," Johnson said in a statement. "As we've said all along, we were going to have learnings, make adjustments, and continue to improve. Sometimes we have to make moves that aren't comfortable, but what's most important is the future and sustainability of the league. "The global economic landscape has shifted dramatically in the past year, and this business decision has been made to ensure our long-term stability ..." The economics of the deal with Drake Stadium in Los Angeles was the motivating factor in cancelling what was intended to be the final meet of the year, Grand Slam Track sources told Reuters. Organisers have offered full refunds to any fans who had bought tickets to the June 28-29 Los Angeles meeting and Johnson said the series would return in 2026. "Our attention is now on 2026, with our eyes set on continuing to deliver the best-in-class storytelling, content, and competition," the four-times Olympic champion added. "We are committed to calling Los Angeles home, and look forward to hosting a Slam in LA as part of the 2026 season." Grand Slam was announced ahead of the 2024 Paris Games amid mounting concerns over athlete pay, as World Athletics for the first time paid $50,000 to gold medal winners in a controversial move that bucked 128 years of Olympic tradition. With a whopping $12.6 million in total prize money across what was set to be four meets, Johnson's start-up caught the attention of track's established circuits, as the long-time standard-bearer Diamond League added more to its prize pot. Sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden were awarded the Grand Slam Track Racers of the Year, the statement added. Jefferson-Wooden, who like Bednarek was undefeated over the three meets, said she had no regrets about taking part. "Change is not always easy or accepted, and I'm happy that Michael Johnson found a way to take a leap of faith and build something for the future of our sport," she said.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Grand Slam Track scraps LA event, leaving 2028 Olympic host without a major track meet this summer
Grand Slam Track canceled the final meet of its first season, in Los Angeles, leaving the host of the 2028 Olympics and the country's second-largest city without a major track meet this summer. The news Thursday about the abrupt scrubbing of the meet, scheduled for the last weekend in June at Drake Stadium, combines with USA Track and Field's earlier decision to take an event set for earlier in June — the LA Grand Prix — off the calendar.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Grand Slam Track meeting cancelled: sources
Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track series has cancelled its final leg in Los Angeles later this month due to economic reasons (Ricardo Makyn) The Los Angeles leg of Michael Johnson's inaugural Grand Slam Track athletics series has been cancelled for economic reasons, multiple sources confirmed to AFP on Thursday. The fourth and final stop on the new circuit had been due to take place at Los Angeles' Drake Stadium from June 28-29. Advertisement However sources with knowledge of the situation told AFP Thursday that the meeting had now been scrapped due to "poor economics". An official announcement on the meeting's cancellation is expected later Thursday. Sources said Johnson was due to hold a video call with athletes and their representatives following Thursday's Diamond League meeting in Oslo to confirm the move. Reports in the United States and Britain said the cancellation was made due to the failure to secure adequate sponsorship and broadcast revenue for the league, which was launched in Kingston, Jamaica in April. Advertisement Ticket sales for the Los Angeles event had also been sluggish, reports said, with Britain's The Times saying the decision to cancel would save organisers around $3 million in prize money and travel expenses. The cancellation is a stinging blow to Johnson's hopes of revolutionising athletics through the circuit, which was launched as part of an attempt to reinvigorate interest in the sport after years of decline. Johnson's stated goal of Grand Slam Track was to produce a more concentrated format which promised more head-to-head races between the world's best athletes. However while the series was able to recruit stars such as US Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and 400m hurdles icon Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, it failed to recruit a slew of top sprinting talent including the reigning men's and women's 100m champions Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred. Advertisement The series offered athletes prize money of up to $100,000 for their overall standings after participating in two races at each meet. However while athletes expressed enthusiasm for the series, there were clear signs it had failed to capture the imagination of fans. Swathes of empty seats were seen at the opening meeting in Kingston, while for the third meeting in Philadelphia, the program was cut from three days to two days. US Olympic 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin had been among the athletes expressing scepticism over Grand Slam Track's chances of success. "I look at it as a business," Benjamin said before the opening meeting in April. "At the end of the day, if there's no ROI (return on investment), then you have a failed business model. And it's like, how long could you be sustainable? Advertisement "They're not going to make any money this year, they're not going to make any money next year." Johnson however brushed off those concerns, adamant that the series would generate interest once launched. "I've started several successful businesses in my life and not a single one was profitable in year one," Johnson said. "That's not how you build businesses. "But when you say we're going to get 48 of the best athletes in the world contracted to go head-to-head, people start to pay attention." rcw/jc
