World Athletics introduce new Ultimate Championship with 1.3 Billion prize pot
3rd June 2024
The new event will pit World champions, Olympic champions, the Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s best-performing athletes against each other to crown the ultimate champion.
- World Athletics announces new global championship will debut in September 2026 and will be held every two years
- The event will have a prize pot of 1.3 billion – the highest in track and field history with Gold winners expected to receive around 19.5 million.
- Budapest has been announced as the inaugural host city.
World Athletics has announced the launch of the World
Athletics Ultimate Championship, a groundbreaking new global championship event
set to transform the athletics calendar and define which athlete is the best of
the best.
The event will pit World champions, Olympic champions, the
Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s best-performing athletes against
each other to crown the ultimate champion.
Highlighting this revolutionary competition is a
record-setting prize pot of US$10 million (circa Ksh 1.3 billion), the largest
ever offered in the history of track & field athletics with gold medalists set
to receive US$150,000 (around Ksh 19.5 million).
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This innovative
event, debuting 11-13 September 2026 and set to be held every two years, will
first be hosted in Hungary’s capital city of Budapest, promising a spectacular
conclusion to the summer athletics season.
Designed as the ultimate season finale with an aim to
captivate millions of television viewers worldwide, the global championship
event will feature a thrilling and fast-moving new format for athletics.
Taking place over three evening sessions, each under three
hours in duration, the Ultimate Championship will showcase the best of
athletics, including sprints, middle and long-distance races, relays, jumps,
and throws, ensuring a spectacle that both existing and new fans will not want
to miss.
Athletes will represent their national teams to ensure that
individual success is underpinned by national pride.
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Setting a new benchmark for financial rewards in the sport,
the World Athletics Ultimate Championship will feature a total prize pot of
US$10 million, underscoring World Athletics' commitment to pay its athletes
more, provide them with additional earning opportunities and increase their
recognition.
All athletes competing at the championship will be
financially rewarded and the ultimate champions will receive US$150,000 each.
Athletes will also benefit from greater promotional rights, allowing them to
commercially activate and enhance their personal profiles.
Chosen following a competitive process – which saw interest
from a number of major global cities – and after hosting arguably the most
successful World Athletics Championships in history last year, Budapest will
welcome nearly 400 of the world's top athletes for the inaugural World
Athletics Ultimate Championship between 11-13 September 2026.
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“With only the best of the best on show and cutting straight
to semi-finals and finals, we will create an immediate pressure to perform for
athletes aiming to claim the title of the ultimate champion,” said World
Athletics President Seb Coe.
“The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be high on
action and excitement for fans, setting a new standard for track and field
events. Featuring athletics’ biggest stars, it will be a must-watch global
sports event and means track and field will host a major global championship in
every single year, ensuring for the first time that athletics will enjoy a
moment of maximum audience reach on an annual basis.”
“Budapest is truly honored to be the inaugural host city for
the highly innovative World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Having
successfully hosted the 2023 World Athletics Championships, recent World
Aquatics Championships, major UEFA events and many more, Budapest is ready to
deliver again,” said Balázs Furjes, IOC member for Hungary and previous
co-leader of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 organising
committee.
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World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Global championship event: Launching in 2026, the
championship will take place every two years and serve as a grand conclusion to
the track and field season.
Compact format: A three-day event, with each evening session
packed with semi-finals and finals for track disciplines, and straight finals
for field disciplines.
Elite athlete participation: Featuring 8-16 of the world's
top-ranked athletes per discipline, with selections based primarily on world
rankings. Approaching 400 athletes from about 70 countries will compete,
representing the pinnacle of global athletic talent.
Prize money: A total prize pot of US$10 million, with winners receiving US$150,000, setting a new benchmark for financial rewards in athletics.