World Athletics is committing a record $10m prize pool to its inaugural Ultimate Championships in Budapest, using prize money as a key tool to attract the sport’s biggest names and build the commercial value of a new global format.
The three-day event, taking place from 11 to 13 September, will bring together leading athletes across 28 disciplines. The winner of each individual event will receive $150,000, more than double the $70,000 awarded to individual world champions.
The prize structure extends to 16th place, with athletes finishing in the final position receiving $2,000. Team-event winners will receive $80,000.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe described the $10m pot as the largest prize fund ever offered in athletics. The governing body had already increased direct financial rewards for athletes by introducing a $50,000 payment for Olympic champions in 2024.
Prize money becomes a commercial strategy
The scale of the payouts is designed not only to reward athletes but also to strengthen the attractiveness of the new competition to broadcasters, sponsors and audiences.
For athletes competing in disciplines with limited commercial exposure, the financial incentive is particularly significant. French hammer thrower Yann Chaussinand said the opportunity to compete for such sums was unprecedented for athletes in his event.
World and Olympic-level stars have also welcomed the initiative. World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden described the prize fund as an important step towards improving athlete compensation, while acknowledging that further progress is needed.
For World Athletics, the broader objective is to establish the Ultimate Championships as a commercially valuable property capable of generating stronger media exposure and additional revenue beyond the organisation’s traditional major-event cycle.
World Athletics seeks a sustainable new format
The strategy bears similarities to Grand Slam Track, the circuit launched by former Olympic champion Michael Johnson in 2025 with a model built around athlete contracts and substantial prize money.
Grand Slam Track was suspended after several meetings amid financial difficulties, highlighting the risks associated with creating a new sports property around high athlete payouts.
World Athletics is therefore attempting to turn its investment in the Ultimate Championships into a sustainable commercial proposition, with audience growth, broadcast exposure and sponsorship value likely to be key measures of the format’s success.
The inaugural event comes as World Athletics seeks to develop athletics as a more consistent year-round commercial product rather than relying primarily on the Olympic Games and World Championships for global visibility.