The new team competition called Ultimate Championship unveiled Friday by the International Federation (World Athletics) will “change the situation” for athletics, assured the president of the body Sebastian Coe.
“The new Ultimate Championship competition in 2026 will be the pinnacle of excellence in a year where there will be no World Championships or Olympic Games […] and will be a springboard for innovation”Coe said this Friday, November 22, during a press conference in Budapest.
The first edition of this competition will be held from September 11 to 13, 2026 in the Hungarian capital. It will then be organized every two years to meet World Athletics' ambition to have an event every year.
A “record” endowment
The body announces an endowment « record » of 10 million dollars (9.6 million euros), i.e. “the largest ever offered in the field of athletics” because each winner should receive $150,000.
Nearly 400 athletes will compete to become the “ultimate champions”with events such as the 100m, 800m, pole vault, height and a new mixed 4x100m relay. The Ultimate Championship will take place after the Diamond League Finals.
“Even if there are fewer events, there will still be 26 individual events taking place in the space of just three nights – the pace will be frenetic “, commented double Olympic pole vault champion Armand Duplantis. Athletes will participate individually as well as in national teams.
READ ALSO. 2024 Olympics: did the record “savoured like a medal” make Sounkamba Sylla hungry?
“We want to offer our fans athletics like they've never seen before with the best competing in a passionate, high-energy festival of sports, complete with sound, light and innovation.”added Coe.
The announcement of this new competition comes after former American sprinter Michael Johnson revealed details of his Grand Slam Track, a series of four meetings in Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which will begin next year and which could overshadow the Diamond League.
