Grand Slam Track, the league founded by four-time Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson, will be one-and-done if it can’t complete payments to athletes who still haven’t received checks after competing in the inaugural season this past spring.
Johnson, who serves as CEO and commissioner, gave the news in a prepared statement on Friday, highlighting the financial struggles the league faces as certain vendors and other partners are still looking to be paid for their services.
“While I am no stranger to setbacks and overcoming obstacles, as an athlete, professionally, and personally, this current situation of not being able to pay our athletes and partners has been one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever experienced,” he said.
A host of athletes, including headliner and Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas, have aired grievances on social media about Grand Slam Track in recent weeks, calling out the league for missing payment deadlines, which Johnson acknowledged, saying commitments have gone unfulfilled.
“I know this damages trust,” he added in a statement. “I know this makes some wonder if our vision can survive. This is why we are not just addressing the immediate problem; we are putting systems and partnerships in place to make sure it never happens again.”
Grand Slam Track launched in April as an alternative league offering high salaries to the world’s best track athletes. But it saw lackluster ticket sales for the season-opening event in Kingston, Jamaica, with slightly improved returns at events in Miami and Philadelphia.
Questions about its financial health emerged when it canceled its June event at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, slated to be the final leg of its four-meet season. The decision was described as a resource pivot rather than part of a new capital allocation strategy.
Grand Slam Track has announced that it has recently added new partners and continues to seek more investors for a potential second season, but Johnson said the top priority right now is “satisfying its outstanding debt.”
Despite its issues, including key executives exiting, Johnson said he remains confident in the future of the league.
“We’re not done yet,” he said. “Not even close.”
The circuit scooped top names like world champion Josh Kerr, promising attention and notable payouts to athletes in non-Olympic years. The prizes for each competition were to range from $100,000 for first place to $10,000 for eighth place, with a $12.6 million prize pot for the season’s four events.
The series, which early on said it had $30 million in financial commitments, began as a business collaboration between Johnson and Winners Alliance, the commercial venture founded by the Professional Tennis Players Association.
Sportico reported last year that Winners Alliance, which still backs the circuit, had already invested seven figures in Grand Slam Track before its existence was publicly announced.
