The 2026 Athlos women's track and field event will be held in an expanded format for the first time, spanning two days in London and New York. The organizers of the tournament, which is being billed as the equivalent of Formula 1 for athletics, have announced that female athletes will be given equity stakes in the league, the BBC reports.
The first seasons of commercial competition were hosted by New York. The project was created as an alternative funding model for athletics, aimed at bridging the gap between female athletes' income and their performance.
In 2026, the competition will be integrated into the European space. In addition to the traditional stage in New York, the tournament will be hosted by the capital of Great Britain. The organizers declare a long-term goal – the creation of a full-fledged world league, which will last throughout the season, for which consultations are currently underway with the international federation World Athletics.
The 2026 Athlos program in London and New York will consist of seven events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, 100m hurdles and long jump . The overall winner will be determined by the sum of points scored over the two stages.
The London leg of the competition is scheduled for September 18 at StoneX Stadium, home of Saracens rugby club. The New York leg will take place in two weeks at the Aiken Stadium. Olympic champions and medallists Sha'Kerry Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Tara Woodhall-Davies, Masai Russell and Marileadi Paulino have already confirmed their participation in the tournament.
The total prize fund of the tournament is $2.1 million, and the maximum amount of payments for one athlete in case of victory in both cities can be $155 thousand: up to $65 thousand for a separate discipline and a $25 thousand bonus for the overall league champion. In addition to direct prizes, participants are offered a share in the company's capital.
The idea of moving the competition to large European and American stadiums is based on an attempt to change the perception of athletics as a purely seasonal or Olympic spectacle . Series founder Alexis Ohanian, who previously invested in Chelsea Women's Football Club and has assets of $ 900 million, sees large-scale urban locations as a tool for popularizing short and middle-distance races.
“I've long been fascinated by this analogy of 'Formula 1 for athletics'. We're used to the world's fastest cars racing through the world's biggest cities, and people taking to the streets to watch and celebrate this excellence. I imagine Athlos as a variation of that, and as the league grows I'd like to add more cities and make Athlos truly global. Whatever we do, we'll do it with our athletes as partners – but our ambitions are big. I see no reason why Athlos can't become a major event on the sporting calendar.”
Previous experience with other commercial projects, including Michael Johnson's bankrupt Grand Slam track championship, has demonstrated significant financial risks at the launch stage of such leagues.