*This article was most recently updated on December 16, 2025, after the list of creditors was reported.
Jump to the newest update here.
In June 2024, the first half of a headline about Grand Slam Track published in the Wall Street Journal read, “Michael Johnson Has a Plan to Save Track.”
Even if Johnson’s intention was good, as I choose to believe, it’s now painfully clear that the plan wasn’t a good one.
As the saga of Grand Slam Track continues its downward spiral, athletes remain unpaid in full, the league seems to be on the verge of financial collapse, and they’ve alluded to having to potentially file for bankruptcy if vendors don’t accept half the overdue amount before December 5, 2026.
The chances of the league returning in 2026 seem to be next to zero unless something drastically happens in the next few days. Let’s take a look at the series of events that led us to where we are today.
February 2024
Johnson had allegedly been musing over the idea for Grand Slam Track since the 1990s, but it wasn’t until 2024 that the event gained traction.
Johnson has historically been critical of World Athletics’ handling of the sport. He’s on the record of saying, “It’s been a shame for me to watch it over the last couple of decades since I retired not be able to continue to provide the same amazing moments to people, outside of just the Olympics.”
Johnson officially announced his intention to launch a league in February 2024 with financial backing from the Winners Alliance, a for-profit global athlete licensing and sponsorship firm. The 2022-funded firm is led by billionaire Bill Ackman, the chief executive of the investment management company Pershing Square Capital Management.
Winners Alliance acts as the commercial arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association. They’ve also worked with the World Cricketers’ Association, among other sports groups. Their primary role is to help facilitate licensing rights and marketing opportunities for athletes, such as helping negotiate video game, trading card, or collectible deals.
April 24, 2024
Johnson revealed in April 2024 that Grand Slam Track had received $30 million in funding from investors and strategic partners, although the name and details of the league wouldn’t be released until June.
Winners Alliance was reportedly the lead investor, allegedly investing a seven-figure sum (meaning between $1 million and $10 million). Grand Slam Track also named them their operational partner.
The league hired three agencies to help grow its brand:
- Doubleday and Cartwright, a creative studio agency that has worked with the NBA, MLB, and MLS teams, to focus on the graphics for the league and individual athletes.
- Two Circles, a marketing agency with links to Formula 1, the NFL, World Athletics, IOC, and the Premier League
- SRK Strategies, a communications firm to handle the league’s public relations
June 2024
Grand Slam Track officially announced its name in June 2024, a nod to the “Grand Slam” structure of golf and tennis, where four marquee events are spread throughout the year.
The league announced the first details about its schedule and structure. Originally, the league planned to run from April to September 2025 with plans to host two competitions in the United States and two abroad.
The league would be giving out $100,000 in prizes winners of each of its event categories, and $10,000 for an eight-place finish. The event categories would include:
- Short sprints (100m and 200m)
- Short hurdles (100mH or 100mH)
- Long sprints (200m and 400m)
- Short distance (800m and 1500m)
- Long distance (3,000m and 5,000m)
- Long hurdles (400mH)
A total of $12.6 million was expected to be given out over Grand Slam Track’s first season as prize money, not including appearance fees.
The American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion, was announced as the first athlete to join the league.
“It’s going to elevate the platforms of the athletes that compete more than once every four years… and just give opportunities for athletes to be compensated for the hard work we put in,” she said at the circuit’s launch event.
Later in June, World Champion and Olympic silver medalist in the 1,500-meter Josh Kerr also signed up to the league.
September 2024
In September, Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse joined Kerr in signing contracts with Grand Slam Track, meaning that all three Olympic medalists in the 1,500-meter would take part in the event.
Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley also signed with the league, giving the league an infusion of talent in the sprints.
Alison Dos Santos, Clément Ducos, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela, and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn were among the other top talents who signed by the end of the month.
November 2024
By November, Grand Slam Track officially announced that the four meetings would take place in Kingston, Los Angeles, Miramar, and Philadelphia. The schedule would now run from April to the end of June, instead of September as originally planned.
They also added Robert F. Smith, the founder of Vista Equity, with a net worth of almost $11 billion, to its board of directors.
The league received another infusion of talent with the addition of Olympic 200-meter champion Gabby Thomas.
December 2024
By December, the format of Grand Slam Track came into focus. It would include signing 48 “GST racers” to contracts and then bringing in another 48 racers as “GST Challengers.” They successfully rounded out their roster of 48 GST racers with the signings of Caleb Dean, Diribe Welteji, Freddie Crittenden, Brittany Brown, and Zharnel Hughes
Despite signing many of the top athletes in the world, some notable omissions included Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson. Lyles was particularly vocal about wanting to see the television deal before signing up for the league.
April 2025
After about a year of hype, the first Grand Slam meeting kicked off with its inaugural competition in Kingston, Jamaica. The 35,000-seat stadium was largely empty, and Fred Kerley was arrested at the meet hotel after an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, Alaysha Johnson.
According to Johnson, they sold 24,000 tickets over three days, but many people didn’t show up. The underwhelming turnout would be the first major sign of trouble and contribute to financial troubles in the upcoming months.
The CW, the television partner in the United States, reported an average of 243,000 viewers, a modest figure for weekend national TV coverage and significantly lower than typical Diamond League viewers on NBC.
May 2025
Grand Slam Miami was held in a smaller stadium, which helped make the event look fuller on television. The number of television viewers was similar to Grand Slam Kingston, with 249,000 tuned in on The CW.
Grand Slam Philadelphia was held on May 31 and June 1st. Ahead of the competition, organizers condensed the schedule into two days instead of three, like the first two meetings.
The ticket sales were better than in the first two meetings, with close to 30,000 tickets sold. It would be later revealed that Grand Slam Track was in financial trouble leading into the competition and that board member Robert F. Smith would make a last-ditch funding effort to ensure the meet would operate despite financial trouble.
The league owed about an estimated $19 million after the competition.
June 2025
Grand Slam Track announced that the fourth meet in Los Angeles will be cancelled due to various reasons, including the current geopolitical climate of LA and a poor lease agreement with UCLA.
Due to the suddenness of the announcement, many began to speculate about financial trouble.
On the decision, Johnson said:
“This was not a decision that we came to lightly,” Johnson said. “But it is the right decision for the long-term sustainability of the league…So we will go ahead now and conclude our season and conclude our season and focus on the 2026 season.”
July 2025
By July, any financial trouble that Grand Slam Track was having behind closed doors became public. In July, reports emerged that athletes hadn’t gotten paid, and some had contacted World Athletics directly to voice their concerns. Unpaid amounts were reportedly around $9 million.
World Athletics reported that they’re keeping a “close watch” on outstanding payments owed to athletes.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, when asked about the business side of the league, Johnson responded with, “Our television viewing numbers are good. They’ve exceeded our expectations and those of our partners as well. Our television viewership grew from Kingston to Miami, and we’re hoping that it’ll continue to grow. In terms of ticket sales, it’s trending in the right direction.”
By the end of the month, Johnson admitted that they were facing a “major cash flow” issue.
An article by Cory Mull in Forbes reported that Grand Slam Track currently owed $77,896 to the City of Miramar for the facility rental for Grand Slam Miami. As of the time of writing (November 30, 2025), this money is still outstanding.
Grant Fisher told Runnerspace at the end of the month, “If they aren’t able to pay out the debts that they have for this past year, I don’t think it will exist for next year.”
Olympic Champion Gabby Thomas made a public comment on one of Grand Slam Track’s posts of her race, “So dope!! Pls pay me 😭”
August 2025
In August, an Athletic report emerged explaining that the major investor, Eldridge, exercised its right to withdraw its pledged funding after being unimpressed with the performance at the first meet in Kingston, reportedly withdrawing $19 million in funding.
The primary investor, Winner’s Alliance, only committed $13 million in the first year of the league’s operations, about enough to cover the prize money without all the other additional expenses, including travel, facility rentals, staff payments, agency fees, licensing fees, and more.
The situation reached a crescendo on August 16, when Michael Johnson announced that they couldn’t afford to pay their athletes until new investors were found:
“It is incredibly difficult to live with the reality that you’ve built something bigger than yourself while simultaneously feeling like you’ve let down the very people you set out to help. However, I have to own that.”
He also admitted that Grand Slam Track will not take place in 2026 unless athletes receive their prize money for the year.
Reports emerged that athletes were considering legal action if they weren’t paid by the end of the month.
October 3, 2025
In early October, Grand Slam Track reportedly received an emergency $5.5 million infusion of cash from a “handful” of its initial investors that they’ll have to pay back later. They released a statement that they would work to receive the remaining funds over the next 60 days.
The payments were described in letters as “The beginning of Grand Slam Track’s reboot.”
Before the cash infusion, they still owed roughly $8 million to vendors and $11 million to athletes.
November 2025
In late November, the Athletic reported that Johnson had sent letters to vendors stating that they would have to accept 50% of the owed sums. He warned that rejecting the deal could lead to the league filing for bankruptcy.
The letters noted that an outside party has expressed interest in financing or acquiring Grand Slam Track on a debt-free basis, which would require avoiding filing for bankruptcy.
World Athletics rejected Grand Slam Track’s offer to pay half of the £30,000 (a little under $40,000 US) that they still owe. The Times reported that World Athletics told them that they must prioritize settling outstanding debt with athletes, some of whom are owed half of their prize money and appearance fees.
December 2025
The deadline for vendors to accept Grand Slam Track’s offer to pay half their outstanding debt was December 5, 2025. Grand Slam Track announced that it may file for bankruptcy if an agreement isn’t made.
On December 11, Grand Slam officially filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Chapter 11 Bankruptcy allows businesses to reorganize their debt and finances while continuing to operate, rather than shut down entirely.
According to Grand Slam Track’s official press release, “GST intends to utilize the Chapter 11 process to stabilize its finances, implement a more efficient cost and operating model, and position GST for long-term success.”
Michael Johnson added, “While GST has faced significant challenges that have caused frustrations for many – myself included – I refuse to give up on the mission of Grand Slam Track and the future we are building together.”
According to the public records, they have an estimated 200–299 creditors. Their liabilities sit between a staggering $10 million to $50 million, and they hold assets of less than $50,000.
The league made an Instagram post shortly after the announcement saying that this isn’t “the end of GST.” Although it currently appears highly unlikely that they’ll return for the 2026 season unless something changes in the very near future.
List of Creditors Announced
On December 15, 2025, the list of the top 20 creditors was officially announced in an updated document. The total amount owed for these 20 creditors comes to $9,456,139.74, with $1,642,500.00 of this owed to seven athletes.
Here’s a look at the 20 top creditors and how much Grand Slam Track still owes to each. Athletes are bolded.
| Rank | Party | Role | Amount owed (US $) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Momentum-CHP Partnership | Broadcast | $3,035,583.93 |
| 2 | PMY Ets Usa Inc. | Contruction | $1,267,579.98 |
| 3 | Girraphic | Graphics | $690,624.13 |
| 4 | Tata Communications | Telecommuinication | $485,000.00 |
| 5 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone | Athlete | $356,250.00 |
| 6 | Eversheds Sutherland LLP | Legal | $324,968.50 |
| 7 | Jack Morton Worldwide Inc. | Marketing | $314,145.00 |
| 8 | Allied Global Marketing | Marketing | $283,895.29 |
| 9 | CITIUS MAG | Media | $272,915.80 |
| 10 | Two Circles | Marketing | $250,000.00 |
| 11 | Gabby Thomas | Athlete | $249,375.00 |
| 12 | SRK Strategies | Public relations | $248,164.68 |
| 13 | TMSCORPRO | Transportation | $238,850.75 |
| 14 | Kenny Bednarek | Athlete | $225,000.00 |
| 15 | The Parker Company LLC | Hospitality | $222,364.59 |
| 16 | Josh Kerr | Athlete | $218,750.00 |
| 17 | Marileidy Paulino | Athlete | $211,875.00 |
| 18 | Alison Dos Santos | Athlete | $190,625.00 |
| 19 | Melissa Jefferson-Wooden | Athlete | $190,625.00 |
| 20 | Elysian Strategic Marketing, Inc. | Marketing | $179,547.09 |
We’ll continue to add updates as they become available.