World Athletics has launched new $10million (£7.87m) biennial event to take place in non-World Championship seasons and act as a lucrative end-of-season finale.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship, the richest prize in the sport, will launch in 2026 and take place from September 11-13 in Budapest, which hosted last summer’s World Championships.
The top 16 athletes will compete in track semi-finals and then finals while the top eight athletes will battle it out in the field finals. Each winner will pocket $150,000 (£118,000).
World Athletics president Seb Coe said: “This is about the best of the best - 400 athletes from about 70 countries. We want this to look different, we want this to feel different.
“The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be high on action and excitement for fans, setting a new standard for track and field events.
“Featuring athletics’ biggest stars, it will be a must-watch global sports event and means track and field will host a major global championship in every single year.”
