by The inaugural World Ultimate Athletics Championship in 2026 will feature 28 track and field events spread over three nights, including the senior major championship debut of the mixed 4x100m relay.
Friday, World Athletics announced the specific events that will take place during the Ultimate Championship:
Track: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 100m/110m hurdles, 400m hurdles
Field: pole vault, high jump, long jump, triple jump (women), hammer throw (men), javelin
Relay: mixed 4x100m, mixed 4x400m
The mixed 4x100m has never been held at the Olympic Games or World Championships. The mixed 4x400m made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Last June, World Athletics announced the creation of the biennial, season-ending Ultimate Championship for years without outdoor World Championships. The first edition will take place in Budapest from September 11 to 13, 2026.
Fields of eight to 16 athletes per individual event will be based primarily on world rankings with no limit on athletes per country. There will be semi-finals and finals for the individual track events and finals for the field events.
The winners will receive $150,000 from a total prize pool of $10 million.
“This new global event will be a game-changer for our sport and for our athletes,” World Athletics President Seb Coe said in a press release. “We want to bring our fans athletics like they’ve never seen it before – with the best of the best athletes in our sport competing in a passion-fueled, high-octane festival of sports, with sound, light and innovation.
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