US athletics legend Michael Johnson announced the creation of a new elite track league, Grand Slam Track, set to begin in April 2025. The league will feature the world's top track athletes competing in four annual meetings, with two events in the United States and two international stops. Each meeting will offer approximately $3 million in prize money.

Johnson, a four-time Olympic gold medalist and BBC commentator, revealed that one of the US venues will be Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Olympics. He emphasized that the league aims to showcase the "best of the best" athletes racing head-to-head across various track events, excluding field events.

"People love racing. People want to see the best of the best. And at the core of Grand Slam Track is the best of the best athletes, only the fastest, competing head to head against one another four times a year," Johnson said.

The league will categorize events into short sprints, long sprints, high hurdles, low hurdles, middle distance, and long distance, with men's and women's races in each category. Athletes will compete in two events per meeting, and a total of $12.6 million in prize money will be available across the four events. The top athlete in each category will receive $100,000, with prizes awarded down to the eighth place.

"It's a little over $3 million in prize money for each one of our Slams," Johnson added. "At the end of the day, you know, these athletes deserve to be compensated for their talent and what they bring and we're doing that."

US Olympic legend Carl Lewis expressed strong support for the league, highlighting its potential to make track more marketable by consistently featuring top athletes. "If you go to any Grand Slam in tennis or golf, you know the best are gonna be there so you actually plan to watch," Lewis said. "Right now (in track) you don't know that."

The league has already secured commitments from 48 athletes, including 400m hurdles world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Another 48 athletes will be invited based on their performance and form. McLaughlin-Levrone praised the initiative as a significant step forward for the sport, eager to race her top competitors more frequently.

"That's the whole point of Grand Slam Track -- getting a more regular basis of the best of the best in each event," McLaughlin-Levrone said.

Johnson defended the decision to exclude field events, stating it allows for a focused, streamlined viewing experience. "With one event at a time in a three-hour window there is no place for us to fit field events," he explained.

Grand Slam Track has already secured over $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners, signaling strong support for this innovative approach to track and field competition.