World Athletics President Sebastian Coe at the MCC conference (© Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) )
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe laid out the organisation’s vision for the Ultimate Championship during a recent visit to Budapest.
Hungary will host the climax to the athletics season on 11-13 September, three years on from welcoming the World Athletics Championships.
And Coe hailed Budapest as “the natural partner” for the championship, which is set to transform the athletics calendar by celebrating the best of the best in pitting world and Olympic champions against Wanda Diamond League winners and the rest of the world’s best to crown the champion of champions.
Speaking at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) Sports for All / All for Sports conference, which included the heads of other sporting federations and former Hungarian President Pál Schmitt, Coe focused on the new-for-2026 event taking place in Hungary. He also highlighted the importance of athletics and wider sport in shaping society.
“We came away from Budapest three years ago absolutely convinced that this is a World Championships city and a country with a long-term, ambitious vision for sport and legacy that goes way beyond a nine-day competition,” he said. “And Budapest has gone from strength to strength as a host of international sporting events since then. So, the city is the natural partner in launching the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September 2026.
“We have created the Ultimate to ensure every athletics season culminates with a major global championship – one with real meaning for the athletes, fans, media and broadcasters. Our North Star is to maximise our global broadcast audience and so it is unapologetically made for TV to engage broadcasters in a new way to help further elevate national heroes.”
The Ultimate Championship aims to put both athletes and fans front and centre, with world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis already signed up as an Ultimate Star, a role which includes penning the anthem for the event.
Duplantis has already qualified for the Ultimate Championship alongside athletes including sprint stars Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, 800m ace Keely Hodgkinson and long jump talent Tara Davis-Woodhall.
Of the athletes’ involvement – past and present – Coe added: “We are certainly doing things differently with this championship. It will look different, it will feel different. Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt has already been announced as the ‘Ultimate Legend’ – the first time he is stepping into an athletics ambassadorial role as he uses his passion for and status within the sport to promote our new event to the world. He will be here with us in Budapest in September.
“We are also working with our current stars to give them a platform and space to showcase their passions, talents and personalities in new and innovative ways on the road to the Ultimate.”
• Global championship event: Launching in 2026, the championship will take place every two years and serve as a grand conclusion to the track and field season.
• Compact format: A three-day event, with each evening session packed with semifinals and finals for track disciplines, and straight finals for field disciplines.
• Elite athlete participation: Featuring 8-16 of the world's top-ranked athletes per discipline, with selections based primarily on world rankings. Approaching 400 athletes from some 70 countries will compete, representing the pinnacle of global athletic talent.
• Prize money: A total prize pot of US$10 million, with winners receiving US$150,000, setting a new benchmark for financial rewards in athletics.
