World Athletics announced the structure of its Ultimate Championship on Friday, with the new mixed 4x100m relay joining three packed sessions of events.
There will be 28 events split between action on the track and in the field, with the inaugural meet set to take place on September 11, 12 and 13, 2026 in Budapest.
“This new global event will be a game-changer for our sport and for our athletes,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement. “We want to bring our fans athletics like they have never seen it before – with the best of the best athletes in our sport competing head-to-head in a passion-fuelled, high octane, festival of sport, with sound, light and innovation.”
The meet will feature a loaded lineup that will include: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 100m/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles. In the field fans can expect the high jump, pole vault, long jump, women’s triple jump, men’s hammer throw and the javelin.
Meanwhile, the new mixed 4x100m relay joins the mixed 4x400m event. It will be the first time the mixed 4x100m relay will be held on a world stage in competition.
When the Ultimate Championship was announced last June, World Athletics sought to find a solution to not having an event to crown year-end winners in the sport.
Prize money will be significantly higher than Diamond League payouts, with event winners receiving $150,000 as part of a $10 million prize pool. All participants will be selected based on world rankings with no restrictions on how many athletes per country can compete.
These event adjustments — and boost in prize money — should ensure that the level of competition in Budapest will remain high.
“Competing against the best in the world is always a privilege,” Gabby Thomas said in a statement. “This new event in 2026 will be incredible and will give the best athletes an opportunity to compete in a major championship in a non-Olympic or World Championships year. It’s great to have an event in 2026 that will give us championship focus, and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship does that. I remember the amazing crowds in Budapest at the 2023 World Championships, so can’t wait to run for gold in 2026.”
World Athletics has also pledged to keep the session on each day to under three hours, while athletes will wear their national kits during competition.
“Nothing beats competing in front of a live crowd. Anyone that knows me or has watched me compete knows this is where I thrive,” Mondo Duplantis said in a statement. “The new Ultimate Championship in 2026 will be the ultimate high in a year when we do not have a World Championships or Olympic Games. Even with fewer events there will still be 26 individual events taking place over just three nights – the pace will be insane. It will be time to fly, so strap in and tune in.”
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