Mixed reactions to new global championship

Kayla White, Gabby Thomas and Abby Steiner compete in the Women's 200m Final during the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on July 09, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon. [AFP]

There were mixed reactions yesterday to World Athletics move to introduce a new championship centered around the world's best athletes, with a total prize pool of $10 million (Sh1.3b) set to be won, including a total of $150,000 (Sh19.6m) going to gold medal winners.

Some athletes says the event dubbed Ultimate Championship, will deny middle ranked athletes a share of the prize money.

“Innovation is good for sports, but World Athletics could have collected various views to ensure the new idea benefits all the athletes, the new format will target only the topped ranked athletes, what happens to the second tiers athletes, is that fair competition ground, I don’t think so,” said an athlete who declined to be named due to fear of victimization.

Another athlete wondered: “If only top ranked athletes are invited per event, what happens if all the 100m men event are only from one country, or all the top sixteen marathoners athletes are from Kenya, will they be competing amongst themselves?”

However some athletics stakeholders are in favour of the development and middle distance coach Bernard Ouma said: “Significant financial rewards play a pivotal role in motivating athletes to excel in their respective sports. It is imperative that WA takes necessary measures to bridge the existing reward gap between athletics and other high-paying sports like football or NBA. It is truly commendable to acknowledge and appropriately reward the exceptional talent and relentless hard work exhibited by athletes.”

World Athletics announced on Monday 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 – pitting 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 Lord Seb Coe. [File,Standard]

This innovative event, debuting on September 11-13, 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.

“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.”