The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has endorsed Grand Slam Track, a new series of athletic meets founded by four-time U.S. Olympic champion Michael Johnson.
Kingston, Jamaica, will be a host city for the first of four Slam events for the inaugural event of its 2025 season.
The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Monday.
Kingston joins Miami and Los Angeles as host cities, with one more locations expected to be announced later this week.
Commenting on the initiative, JOA president Christopher Samuda said: “The economy of sport is continually diversifying its product offerings, and this move merits support, as yesterday’s novelty in sport is becoming today’s norm of business innovation in a global enterprise where changing the game has become a prerequisite for staying in the game and winning the grand slam.”
The Kingston Slam will be held at the National Stadium from April 4-6. The three-day competition is expected to draw some of the fastest runners in the world, marking a significant moment in the league’s debut season. Tickets for the Kingston Slam will go on sale on December 6 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
The series promises substantial payouts to winners and competitors, a draw for sports financiers and analysts. “Grand Slam Track will not only pay dividends for aspirations invested initially in sweat equity and maturing in bonus payments, which is a qualitative strategy of the JOA,” noted JOA secretary general/CEO Ryan Foster. “more importantly, the meets will provide self-actualising opportunities for athletes and value for money for fans.”
Foster added, “Top-ranking athletes will be able to constantly measure performance against character as they compete continually against each other in conditioning themselves for the premier event, the Olympic Games.”
Johnson’s vision for Grand Slam Track borrows from the concept of “grand slam” events in sports like tennis and Formula 1, aiming to highlight host city culture. Samuda praised this approach, noting, “the concept aligns to the advocacy of the JOA as we treat sporting events as experiences in physical culture, fan engagement, cuisine, music, entertainment and tourism all of which are drivers in creating a viable sport industry.”
Each year, Grand Slam Track will designate 48 elite athletes as Racers. The current roster includes top names from the global track and field circuit, with Jamaican athletes Ackera Nugent, Roshawn Clarke, and Rushell Clayton among those selected.
Grand Slam Track Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the Grand Slam Track content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing, new revenue opportunities, and access to world-class athlete support services throughout the season. Grand Slam Track Racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.
The remaining 48 racers will be known as Grand Slam Track Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams.
Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m).
All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, the athlete with the quickest combined time across the two races will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000.
Grand Slam Track will distribute a total of $12.6 million in prize money across the Slams each year, in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to Racers.
All racers will compete twice over the three-day event.
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