A new World Athletics Ultimate Championship has been launched with a record-breaking $10 million prize pot. It hopes to become athletics’ answer to the Super Bowl.
To be held biennially, the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship will begin in Budapest in Sep 2026 when 400 of the greatest track and field stars will compete for first prizes of $150,000. To put that figure into perspective, gold medallists at last year’s World Athletics Championships received $70,000 and this year's Paris Olympics will be the first to give prize money in athletics - $50,000 per gold.
It means that every track and field athletics season will now finish in September with either the World Championships or the new World Ultimate Championship, which will be staged in even-ending years and so also follow each Olympic Games by around five weeks.
“We are unashamed about the prize pot - I want the athletes to feel that there is a trajectory,” said Sebastian Coe as he unveiled the new event. “I am determined that we provide opportunities to raise the profile of the athletes and to give them greater financial security. It means track and field will host a major global championship in every single year."
The money will largely come from the host city, as well as broadcasters and sponsors. The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be a three-nightly competition lasting no more than three hours per session. So, perfect for TV audiences.
Seb Coe hopes it will become comparable to major sporting occasions like Wimbledon, the Masters and the Super Bowl.