Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will debut in Budapest, featuring 13 individual events per gender—eight track and five field events—plus two mixed relays over three nights. Olympic champions from Paris 2024, world champions from Tokyo 2023, and 2024 Diamond League winners automatically qualify, with others invited based on world rankings and special invitations. There are no nationality limits for individual events, but relays are limited to one team per country.
The championship sets a new standard with a $10 million prize fund, the largest in athletics history. Individual winners earn $150,000, runners-up $75,000, and third-place finishers $40,000. Relay champions share $80,000. This continues World Athletics’ athlete-focused initiatives, following the introduction of prize money at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Unlike traditional meets, no medals will be awarded. Instead, all athletes receive a unique participation token. Individual event winners will get a specially designed trophy incorporating this token; design details will be revealed closer to the event.
The mixed 4x100m relay will make its senior global championship debut. Six countries—Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Nigeria, Spain, and the United States—qualified by reaching the World Relays final. This relay allows only one team per nation.
Notable figures like Ultimate Legend Usain Bolt and Ultimate Star Mondo Duplantis, who wrote the event anthem, are involved. Other stars, including Tara Davis-Woodhall, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Letsile Tebogo, serve as content creators and team captains.