In line with The Guardian, U.Okay. Athletics (UKA) has declined involvement in Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Observe league, citing considerations about monetary danger. Birmingham and London have been among the many cities thought-about for internet hosting one of many 4 deliberate annual occasions, scheduled to begin in April 2025.
UK Athletics turns down Grand Slam Observe involvement over monetary considerations https://t.co/dgQQay6nff
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) November 12, 2024
UKA’s CEO, Jack Buckner, defined UKA’s focus shift to creating the London Diamond League worthwhile moderately than funding a brand new collection. “We’re optimistic about Michael Johnson’s format,” stated Buckner. “Three days (eight occasions per day) of simply monitor athletics is a variety of tickets to promote within the London Stadium, and the associated fee base comes fairly excessive there.”
Although UKA has stepped again for now, Buckner indicated it might rethink internet hosting future Grand Slam Observe occasions if the league proves sustainable. The brand new monitor league, set to rival the well-established Diamond League, has introduced three of its 4 inaugural 2025 occasion places, with the season debut in Kingston, Jamaica, adopted by meets in Miami and Los Angeles. Elite athletes, together with four-time Olympic gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, world 800m champion Marco Arop and British middle-distance star Josh Kerr, have signed on to the collection, which contains a $12.6 million prize pool and is impressed by the tennis Grand Slam tournaments.
Marco Arop turns into first Canadian to signal with Grand Slam Observe League
Lately, UKA has confronted monetary challenges, dropping greater than $1,000,000 in someday in the course of the Birmingham Diamond League in 2022 and one other $800,000 on the 2023 World Indoor Tour meet in Birmingham. “We don’t wish to–gamble is simply too sturdy a phrase–however should you don’t get an occasion proper and also you don’t price range for it correctly, it could lose some huge cash rapidly,” Buckner stated.
UKA’s latest monetary assertion reviews a lack of CAD $2,000,000 for the fiscal yr ending in March 2024, although chair Ian Beattie famous this was an enchancment over the CAD $4,700,000 deficit from the earlier yr. Beattie is optimistic that UKA will break even by 2026, stating, “We discover ourselves recovering a bit forward of that projected curve, which is encouraging.”
Beattie additionally revealed that UKA is conducting a feasibility examine for a possible bid to host the World Athletics Championships in both 2029 or 2031, with upcoming editions (in 2025 and 2027) set to happen in Tokyo and Beijing.