'I don't see it as a threat' - Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track receives backing from World Athletics boss Seb Coe

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe insists that he wants Michael Johnson's four-meet Grand Slam Track series to be a success that adds lustre to the sport.

Former Olympic sprint champion Johnson's Grand Slam makes its debut next year with four three-day, track-only events in Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

"I don't see it as a threat. I've never, ever seen competition as a threat. You either work with competition or you don't. And frankly, this is an organisation that welcomes all sorts of innovation, and I think we've sort of shown that we're not afraid of that," Coe told a press conference after Coucil meeting in Monaco.

Johnson's series is widely seen as a challenge to the established Diamond League circuit of meets as the sport of athletics fights for the limelight outside of the Olympics and world championships. Big names like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Josh Kerr, Gabby Thomas, and Matt Hudson-Smith have already signed on.

World Athletics in November, launched their own Ultimate Championship team event, the inaugural event of which will be held in Budapest on September 11-13, 2026. It will be staged every two years to fulfil World Athletics' ambition of holding a global championship every year.

Unlike Johnson's Grand Slam, it will also feature field events and will take place after the Diamond League finals. "We should be comforted that we've created a landscape where people think that it's worth investing in our sport. 'I'm very welcoming of all sorts of innovation. I'm welcoming of all sorts of investment, within reason," Coe added.