Grand Slam Track Owes Athletes $13 Million—and Promises to Pay by Fall

Track and field athletes who took part in Grand Slam Track’s inaugural season are still waiting to be paid despite promises of generous compensation.

The league, founded by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, made waves earlier this year by offering a total of $12.6 million in prize money far beyond what’s been typical in the sport.

But according to a source close to the situation, nearly $13 million in payments including appearance fees and prize payouts are still outstanding.

Only the appearance fees from the league’s first event in Kingston, Jamaica have been processed. The rest, including base salaries and winnings from subsequent meets, remain unpaid.

As reported by Front Office Sports, Grand Slam Track (GST) abruptly cancelled its fourth and final event in Los Angeles last month. Despite this, organizers assured athletes they'd still be paid for that meet. The league faced challenges with attendance but showed some promise on television and delivered high-level competition.

In an email to athlete representatives obtained by FOS, GST laid out its new payment timeline:

“At this time, all agents who have submitted the proper documentation have received appearance fee payments for Kingston,” the email said. “We plan to issue Kingston prize money payments before the end of July, and all remaining obligations including Los Angeles appearance fees by the end of September.”

GST launched its debut season with meets in Kingston (early April), Miami (early May), and Philadelphia (May 31–June 1). Each event featured 96 athletes: 48 contracted “Racers” and 48 invited “Challengers.”

The league pitched a fresh take on athlete compensation, combining base salaries for Racers with prize earnings and flat appearance fees for Challengers.

But insiders note that unpaid base salaries from Miami and Philly are being categorized as appearance fees creating confusion.

So far, more than $9 million in prize money is still pending, with additional millions owed in appearance fees for the Miami, Philadelphia, and cancelled L.A. events.

Some athlete agents have reportedly brought their concerns to World Athletics, track and field’s global governing body.

GST has declined to publicly comment.

Late payments aren't unheard of in professional track. One source told FOS that even the Diamond League track’s most established circuit often takes just as long to distribute funds. The same source remains optimistic that GST will eventually pay.

Meanwhile, Alexis Ohanian, founder of rival track venture Athlos, told FOS that competitors in his league were paid within a few business days after racing.

Despite the financial lag, Johnson remains committed to the project. Speaking with FOS in May, he admitted GST isn’t expected to be profitable in its first year, but emphasized that lessons from this inaugural season will shape its future.

“After this season is over,” Johnson said, “we’ll assess what worked, what didn’t, and where we need to pivot to build a sustainable model.”