Track and Field League

Last updated
Track and Field League
Sport Athletics
Founded2024

Michael Johnson's unnamed track and field league was announced in 2024 by American former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson. The first season is due to run from April - September 2025. The name and other details are set to be announced in June 2024. [1]

Contents

Development

Former sprinter Michael Johnson announced in February 2024 his intention to launch a track and field league for 2025, which would include a series of events during the track season between April to September. [2] Johnson is reported to be investing money in the League. [3]

In April 2024, Johnson announced initial plans for the Track and Field League, including a total of $30 million in funding from investors and strategic partners. Winners Alliance is reportedly the lead investor and operating partner. [4] Speaking at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, said "I welcome innovation. I also welcome external resource. If you’ve got a rising tide, everyone benefits". [5]

The League was working in 2024 with the companies Doubleday & Cartwright, Two Circles, and SRK Strategies, to respectively concentrate on the graphics, marketing and public relations for the Track and Field League. [1] [6]

In May 2024, former middle distance runner Kyle Merber confirmed he was employed as Director of Athletes and Racing. [7]

Aims

The announcement of the League in February 2024 came with the stated aims to increase and boost the sport of track and field in public consciousness and to promote the sport outside the tent-poles of popularity provided by the four-yearly cycle of Olympic Games. [8] One of the aims is for the Track and Field League to resemble other sports leagues, with global athletes. [9] The League is also designed to help athletes gain exposure and sponsorship opportunities. [10]

Editions

The league will officially launch in June 2024, prior to a planned debut season in 2025. [11]

Broadcast

In February 2024, Michael Johnson said that the Track and Field League has the goal to provide a TV-friendly product "to promote the sport’s biggest stars and draw new audiences through unique storytelling". [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Lewis</span> American track and field athlete

Frederick Carlton Lewis is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, when he last won an Olympic event. He is one of only six Olympic athletes who won a gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Games.

World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, covering track and field, cross country running, road running, race walking, mountain running, and ultra running. Included in its charge is the standardization of rules and regulations for the sports, certification of athletic facilities, recognition and management of world records, and the organisation and sanctioning of athletics competitions, including the World Athletics Championships. The organisation's president is Sebastian Coe of the United Kingdom, who was elected to the four-year position in 2015 and re-elected unopposed in 2019 for a second four-year term, and then again in 2023 for a third and final 4 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Track and field</span> Sport involving running, jumping, and throwing disciplines

Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running and racewalking. In British English the term "Athletics" is synonymous with American "Track and Field" and includes all jumping events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Johnson (sprinter)</span> American sprinter (born 1967)

Michael Duane Johnson is an American retired sprinter who won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals in the span of his career. He held the world and Olympic records in the 200 m and 400 m, as well as the world record in the indoor 400 m. He also once held the world's best time in the 300 m. Johnson is generally considered one of the greatest and most consistent sprinters in the history of track and field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">400 metres</span> Sprint running event

The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the "quarter-mile"—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Track & Field</span> US governing body for track and field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking. The USATF was known between 1979 and 1992 as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin-off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility. Based in Indianapolis, USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of more than 130,000. The organization has three key leadership positions: CEO Max Siegel, Board of Directors Chair Steve Miller, and elected president Vin Lananna. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can be USATF members, but permanent residents can only participate in masters events in the country, and they cannot win USATF medals, prize money, or score points for a team, per World Athletics regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Gatlin</span> American sprinter

Justin Alexander Gatlin is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 World Champion in the 200 meters, and the 2019 World Champion in the 4 x 100 meters relay. In addition, Gatlin is the 2003 and 2012 World Indoor Champion in the 60 meters. He is a 5-time Olympic medalist and a 12-time World Championship medalist. At the World Athletics Relays, Gatlin won two gold medals in the 4 x 100 meters relay in 2015 and 2017. Gatlin is also a record 3-time Diamond League Champion in the 100 meters. He won the Diamond League trophy in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanya Richards-Ross</span> Jamaican-American sprinter

Sanya Richards-Ross is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being the 2012 Olympic champion, 2009 world champion, 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, and 2005 world silver medalist. With her victory in 2012, she became the second American woman to win the 400 meters at the Olympic Games and the first American woman to earn multiple global 400-meter titles. At this distance, Richards-Ross is also a six-time U.S. national champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Stratford, London, England

The London Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London. It is located in the Lower Lea Valley, 6 miles (10 km) east of central London. The stadium was constructed specifically for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics, serving as the Athletics venue and as the site of their opening and closing ceremonies. Following the Games, it was renovated for multi-purpose use and now serves primarily as the home of Premier League club West Ham United, who played at the Boleyn Ground before moving to the stadium in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">60 metres</span> Track and field sprint race

60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the middle of the 'field', as is the hurdles event over the same distance, thus avoiding some of the effects of the banked track encircling the venue, upon which other track events in indoor events are run. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes. The format of the event is similar to other sprint distances. The sprinters follow three initial instructions: 'on your marks', instructing them to take up position in the starting blocks; 'set', instructing them to adopt a more efficient starting posture, which also isometrically preloads their muscles. This will enable them to start faster. The final instruction is the firing of the starter's pistol. Upon hearing this the sprinters stride forwards from the blocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usain Bolt</span> Jamaican sprinter (born 1986)

Usain St. Leo Bolt is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Gemili</span> British sprinter

Adam Ahmed Gemili is a British sprinter. He is the 2014 European champion at 200 metres, three-time European champion in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and part of the Great Britain team that won gold at the 2017 World Championships in the same event. He has finished fourth in the 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and fourth and fifth in separate editions of the World Championships in the same event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">100 metres at the Olympics</span> Track and field event

The 100 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the first edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 100 metres has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. The 100 metres is considered one of the blue ribbon events of the Olympics and is among the highest profile competitions at the games. It is the most prestigious 100 metres race at an elite level and is the shortest sprinting competition at the Olympics – a position it has held at every edition except for a brief period between 1900 and 1904, when a men's 60 metres was contested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Great Britain, or in full Great Britain and Northern Ireland, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016 and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. British athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, France, Greece, and Switzerland, though Great Britain is the only country to have won at least one gold medal at all of them. The team represented the United Kingdom, the three Crown Dependencies, and the thirteen British Overseas Territories, ten of whom sent representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

New Zealand competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's twenty-third appearance as an independent nation at the Summer Olympics, having made its debut at the 1920 Games and competed at every Games since. The New Zealand team consisted of 199 athletes, 100 women and 99 men, across twenty sports, the first time New Zealand was represented by more women than men at the Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Merber</span>

Kyle Merber is a former American mid-distance runner who specialized in the mile and the 1500 metres. He was sponsored by Hoka One One and competed for the New Jersey New York Track Club before retiring from the sport in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Lyles</span> American sprinter (born 1997)

Noah Lyles is an American professional track and field sprinter competing in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic 200 m bronze medalist and a six-time World champion, having won the 200 m and 4 × 100 m at the 2019 World Championships, the 200 m at the 2022 World Championships, and the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m events at the 2023 World Championships, becoming the first man since Usain Bolt in 2015 to complete the sprint treble at a World Championships. At the 2022 Championships, Lyles also earned a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay. He holds personal bests of 9.83 seconds for the 100 m and 19.31 seconds for the 200 m, the latter being an American record making him the third fastest on the respective world all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Great Britain, or in full Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the team of the British Olympic Association (BOA), which represents the United Kingdom, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sha'Carri Richardson</span> American sprinter (born 2000)

Sha'Carri Richardson is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters races. Richardson rose to fame in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, running 10.75 seconds to break the 100 m collegiate record at the NCAA Division I Championships. This winning time made her one of the ten fastest women in history at 19 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erriyon Knighton</span> American sprinter

Erriyon Knighton is an American sprinter specializing in the 100 meters and 200 meters. At the age of 18, he won the bronze medal in the 200 m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, becoming the youngest ever individual sprint medalist in Championships history. He is the 2023 U.S. Champion in the 200 meters.

References

  1. 1 2 Jan, Paras (25 April 2024). "Michael Johnson Secures $30 Million For A New Track And Field League". Forbes. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Axon, Rachel (April 23, 2024). "Michael Johnson secures funds for new track league". Sport Business Journal. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Rashid Dar, Zahid (February 27, 2024). "Track Legend Michael Johnson Splurges $14 Million of Net Worth on Exclusive Project to Benefit Sport". Essentially Sports. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Dragon, Tyler (25 April 2024). "Legendary US Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson set to launch track and field league". USA Today. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Jeremy (4 March 2024). "Josh Kerr blasts 'crazy' athletics prize money – and backs Michael Johnson's breakaway league". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Medow, Shawn (April 24, 2024). "Two Circles continues US push with role in Johnson's new track league". Sport Business. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Meyers, Christaline (May 1, 2024). "Olympic Legend Michael Johnson's $30 Million-Backed 'Unnamed' Track League Secures Support From Decorated American Athlete". Essentially Sports. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Eric (February 27, 2024). "MICHAEL JOHNSON, WINNERS ALLIANCE TO CREATE FAN-FOCUSED TRACK LEAGUE". Sportico.com. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Hardy, Matt (27 February 2024). "Michael Johnson to co-found professional track and field league". City AM. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Olympic champion Michael Johnson starting new track league". ESPN. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Sim, Josh (24 April 2024). "Michael Johnson raises more than US$30m for new track league". Sportsmedia.com. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Carney, Abby (29 February 2024). "Olympic Legend Michael Johnson Is Launching a New Fan-Focused Track League". Runners World.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.