Athletics world watching as ‘Grand Slam Track’ prepares for launch

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Kingston, Jamaica: What is being paid as a “revolution” for the game of athletics in Kingston on Friday, with American Spring Legend Michael Johnson’s opening meeting of the Grand Slam Track Series.

Johnson, a four -time Olympic gold medalist, believes that the four -event circuit is an important moment for the track and field, a new attempt to further strengthen interest in the game after years.

Johnson, 57, says its new circuit shape-which promises to run more than the world’s best track athletes in the world-represents a winning formula that will bring back to Athletics outside the Olympic Competition.

Johnson said about his new circuit last year, “People love racing.

“My goal is to create the opportunities that the players always want and keep them at a stage that is worthy of their greatness, with the race which means.” Before going to meetings in Miami (May 2-4), Philadelphia (May 30 -20-June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27-29), the operation continues in Jamaica.

Uniquely, the Grand Slam Track has 48 athletes under the contract that will be present in all four competitions, with 48 “challengers” in each program joining the field. 96 athletes (48 women, 48 men) are divided into 12 groups of eight, each participated in two races in a three -day meeting.

Financial stake for participating athletes is attractive, for each group winner, a reward of $ 10,000 for runner -up to runner -up. This week, the opening leg in Kingston will include some 32 Medalists from the Paris Olympics, including 400 meters of American women’s barriers, Star Sydney McLaaflin Laveron and the Olympic 200m champion Gabie Thomas.

But in a special shock for Johnson’s own related events to attract the “best best”, neither is the Olympic Olympic 100m Champions – US spront Noah Laleus and St. Lucia’s Julian Alfred – in this field.

The 100m world champion and runner-up of women who ruled in Paris, and Jamaica’s men’s 100-meter silver medal won, is also absent from Kashan Thomson, Shakri Richardson, a large scale from the US-Caribbean field, which has chosen to jump and throw more.

European athletes have also presented a massive event that comes early in the season, and a few weeks after the Indoor World Championship in China.

Johnson says absences are indispensable for an inaugural year’s event, and is understandable to emphasize the players who will be in Kingston. “Not all athletes are coming in the year,” he told Steps Meg in a recent interview.

“You can do more indexes and focus on who is not here, which in my opinion, is somewhat disrespectful for the 48 present here.” In the form of this series, stars like Laleus, Alfred and Richardson are also allowed to enter the fields as “challengers” in future events.

Laleus recently expressed skepticism over the ability to attract league sponsor. “Money is not something that will run me every time,” said Laleus. “I’m watching, who are your outdoor sponsor? Who are your non -track and field sponsors?”

Roy Benjamin, a colleague of the US team, the champion of the 400 -meter barriers, has also questioned the financial capacity of the circuit. Benjamin said, “I see it as a business.” At the end of the day, if there is no ROI (returning on an investment), you have a failed business model. And it is like, how long can you stay durable?

“They are not going to make any money this year, they are not going to make any money next year.” Johnson, while interviewing the Times, eliminated those concerns, maintaining that the Grand Slam track shape is and is going on.

“I have started many successful businesses in my life and was not beneficial in a year,” said Johnson. “It’s not how you make a business.” But when you say that we are dealing with the 48 best athletes in the world, people start paying attention. “

The circuit has attracted a fund of about $ 30 million in financing investors, while the network’s streaming platform, as well as Uruceport in Europe and TNT in the UK, also received broadcasting deals in the United States with CW and NBC.