$10 Million Prize Pool And No Medals: Why Budapest’s Ultimate Championship Is Different

Track and field is attempting something radically different in Budapest this week, replacing some of the sport's traditional trappings with a red carpet, a black-painted field and a $10 million prize pool designed to give athletes a bigger reason to compete.

The inaugural Ultimate Championship officially gets underway after a glamorous “Day Before” celebration that featured athletes walking a red carpet, choosing lanes through a draft-style ceremony and meeting sprint legend Usain Bolt. The competition will feature 27 events, with nearly 400 athletes sharing the prize money.

Unlike the Olympics and World Championships, winners will not receive medals. Instead, each champion will take home $150,000, while even the last-placed athlete is guaranteed $2,000. Athletes competing in multiple events can potentially earn much more, with $300,000 available to those winning both the 5,000 metres and 1,500 metres.

Bolt, a winner of eight Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, welcomed the financial incentives, saying elite athletes should be rewarded properly for what is essentially their profession.

The size of the purse has also highlighted a long-standing issue in athletics. Despite being the centrepiece of the Olympic programme, track and field has traditionally offered far less prize money than some other major sports. The PGA Tour, for example, has several events with $20 million purses.

Organisers have also tried to make the championship more athlete-friendly and entertainment-driven. World Athletics has encouraged content creation, while the black-painted grass provides a striking backdrop for field events.

Among the major names competing are Mondo Duplantis, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Masai Russell, who recently set a world record in the 100m hurdles. Cole Hocker and Jakob Ingebrigtsen will renew their rivalry in the 5,000m before facing each other again in the 1,500m.

With top athletes competing in an Olympic off-year, organisers hope the new format can turn Budapest into a showcase for the future of athletics.