A setback for Michael Johnson. According to the Guardian, its future professional athletics league, the Grand Slam Track, will not stop in Great Britain. The reason is the cost of hosting a circuit meeting, deemed too high by the British Athletics Federation (UK Athletics). Its executive director, Jack Buckner, explained to the English daily: " Three days of athletics with just racing is a lot of tickets to sell in the London Stadium where the costs are quite high. They contacted us and we had a very good discussion with them. We would like to have a bigger and more comprehensive portfolio of events but we want it to be built on solid and sustainable foundations.” Birmingham's Alexander Stadium and London Stadium were among the venues considered for the inaugural Grand Slam Track, scheduled for next year. It has already been confirmed that it will host stops in Jamaica, Florida and Los Angeles. The fourth meeting of the circuit is expected to be announced this week. Jack Buckner has also confirmed to the Guardian that the federation was currently conducting a feasibility study on a bid to host the world athletics championships in 2029, or even 2031. UK Athletics announced this week losses of 1,2 million pounds (1,44 million euros) for the last financial year, which ended in March 2024. But the body expects to return to balance in 2026.
