Grand Slam Track athletes still awaiting half their earnings, agents say

Grand Slam Track athletes have received only half of their earnings nearly 15 months after the competition collapsed, according to a Guardian report. Four leading agents told the newspaper that substantial payments remain outstanding, despite founder Michael Johnson saying last month that he had secured payment for the athletes involved in the short-lived series.

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The athletes received 50% of their earnings in October 2025 and have received no further payments since, the Guardian reported. Their agents hope another payment of around 25% will arrive from an escrow account within the next month or two. That remains an expectation rather than a confirmed payment date. Vendors have received 14% of the amounts owed to them, according to the same report.

A spokesperson for Johnson offered a distinction between securing the money and distributing it. The spokesperson said Grand Slam Track placed the remaining funds owed to athletes into escrow in May 2026 to guarantee payment. Under the bankruptcy plan approved by creditors, including athletes, the organisation is not responsible for distributing those funds, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson identified Force10 Partners as controlling that process under bankruptcy-court supervision and said their understanding was that payments were being distributed. The statement did not establish that athletes had received the outstanding balances. Johnson's representative also said he had worked over the past year to obtain the funding and had chosen bankruptcy proceedings for their transparency.

Johnson, a four-time Olympic champion, launched Grand Slam Track in April 2025 with the promise of substantial salaries and prize money. The competition staged only three events before collapsing, and organisers voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in the United States in December. The Guardian reported that several prominent competitors are understood to remain owed more than £100,000 each, including Josh Kerr and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

The payment dispute has resurfaced as many Grand Slam Track competitors gather for the Ultimate Championships in Budapest. That competition offers a $10 million prize fund, with $150,000 for individual event winners. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has contrasted its funding with Grand Slam Track's position, saying the championships have a fully funded business plan and guaranteeing that athletes will be paid on time.