World Athletics Ultimate Championship opens with record $10m prize pot

What the report says

The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship has opened in Budapest, with the three-day meet bringing together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and other top-ranked athletes. Al Jazeera reported that the event runs from September 11 to 13 and is designed as a new biennial fixture in the sport’s calendar, positioned between major global championships.

The headline attraction is a record $10 million prize pool. According to the report, each individual winner can earn $150,000, while relay teams will share $80,000 for first place. The competition also departs from the traditional format by dropping medals in favor of customised trophies, using direct semifinals and finals instead of heats, and shortening some field-event attempts.

World Athletics and its president, Sebastian Coe, have framed the meet as a fresh way to showcase track and field’s biggest stars. Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, an ambassador for the event, said he welcomed the sport moving in a different direction. Al Jazeera also noted that some athletes have criticized the exclusion of events such as shot put, triple jump and several long-distance races, saying the changes favor faster-paced disciplines.

Among the athletes drawing attention is Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis in the men’s pole vault, alongside other potential record challengers in Budapest. The event matters because it signals a significant shift in how World Athletics is packaging elite competition, athlete rewards and audience appeal.