World Athletics Ultimate Championship (© World Athletics)
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is putting fans at the forefront of the experience like never before – both those in the stands and those watching from home. Here are five things fans can expect from the inaugural event.
New championship, new TV look
This is a broadcast-first event with innovations to back that up: augmented reality, athlete headshots and new data points to give it all a completely fresh look. Among the changes are live win probabilities and expected finishing positions which alter in real time as well as a dramatic black infield with only the competition areas lit up to ensure the focus is fully on the specific event in hand. All of this will play out via broadcasters including the BBC, NBCUniversal, L’Équipe, TBS and many more.
The anthem
Mondo Duplantis will once again be one of the star attractions at this major championship but, in the lead-up, he has swapped the pole vault runway for the recording studio. He has written and will perform the Ultimate Anthem, Gold, which has already been released globally across major music streaming providers including Spotify and Apple Music. Duplantis is no stranger to musical creations – his other songs including Feelin’ Myself and Bop having already accrued millions of listeners on Spotify.
Peeking behind the curtain
Want to get up close and personal to the action, and get a feel for what really goes on behind the scenes? Well, fans have an opportunity to enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour in Budapest where you can step inside the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre, and explore the areas that are typically the reserve of athletes and event officials. It comes with a personalised bib of your name, a goodie bag, souvenir photo and entry into a lucky draw to potentially upgrade your seat. But hurry because the tickets are going fast.
Ultimate Fan Challenge
As well as the on-track and in-field competition, there’s been another competition going on for the past few months. The World Athletics Ultimate Fan Challenge is set to reach a dramatic conclusion inside the stadium where three finalists will battle it out in the company of Usain Bolt to be crowned the Ultimate Fan. Two quiz champions – one male and one female – booked their flight to the Hungarian capital by topping six quizzes, and they will be joined there by a third finalist picked by members of the public for the best piece of content creation pre-championship.
New app
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship also comes with its very own brand-new mobile app for the event aimed at transforming how fans all over the planet experience the event and engage with the sport. It will contain athlete stories, live events, video content, interactive games and predictions all at the tap of a button. It will be the go-to destination for all you need to know for the first ever Ultimate Championship.
