Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
World Athletics is launching the Ultimate Championship, a new global athletics competition meant to fill the four-year gap in the outdoor season when there is neither an Olympic Games nor a World Athletics Championships. The event is intended to provide a climactic finale for the 2026 season, with Jon Ridgeon of World Athletics emphasizing the importance of showcasing and growing the sport.
The inaugural edition will take place over three evenings at Budapest’s National Athletics Centre, the venue of the 2023 World Championships. The competition will include 28 finals and offer a record prize fund of US$10 million. Athletes will compete either at the semifinal stage or enter directly into the finals, with no preliminary rounds, creating a fast-paced and challenging environment from the outset.
For the event, individual track races up to and including 800m will begin with semifinals, while the 1500m, 5000m, relay races, and all field events will be contested as straight finals. This format is designed to keep competition intense and immediate throughout the championship.
World Athletics is working with some of the sport’s leading figures to develop and promote the Ultimate Championship. Usain Bolt has been named the Ultimate Legend, and athletes such as Mondo Duplantis, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Noah Lyles, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Letsile Tebogo are among the Ultimate Stars contributing ideas and helping shape the event’s style and atmosphere.