Los Angeles was revealed as the first Grand Slam Track host city in June and on Friday the league announced that UCLA’s Drake Stadium will be the site of final meet of the season.
The other cities for the inaugural season of the league were recently uncovered as Kingston, Jamaica, Miami and Philadelphia will make up the other locations with each “Slam” occurring between April, May and June 2024. The Los Angeles meet will be on June 27, 28 and 29th and include a separate ceremony to crown the overall league champion.
“Los Angeles is set to host Grand Slam Track,” Michael Johnson, the league’s founder said in a statement. “As a global sports capital, LA provides the perfect stage to showcase the cream of the crop from around the world. We’re eager to bring the event to this iconic city and can’t wait to give fans an unforgettable experience. It’s a new era for the sport, and we’re delighted to be leading the way.”
With the details of the Los Angeles meet confirmed, the remaining pieces lie in which athletes will make up the final 16 contracted “Racers” who will joined the 32 participants who have agreed to run in all four meets.
The announcement of the league prior to the Paris Olympics signaled a shift in the sport when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone agreed to be the first athlete to sign with Johnson’s league. Other titans in the sport followed suit as Fred Kerley, Josh Kerr, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Cole Hocker became part of a growing roster.
Johnson has promised larger payouts to event winners, as the top prize is $100,000 and eighth place finishers taking him $10,000. The league will not have athletes wear traditional bibs on their uniforms and a extra emphasis will be placed on creating interesting matchups on the track.
Tickets for the Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia meets will go on sale in December, with detailed information about availability for the Los Angeles meet still in the works.
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