Sprinting great Michael Johnson is launching a track league that looks to assemble nearly 100 of the sport's top performers four times a year to compete for $12.6 million in prize money over its first season.
The league, Grand Slam Track, announced Tuesday that it will launch next April with plans for one event in Los Angeles, the home of the 2028 Olympics, one in another American city and two more overseas.
The league also announced it had signed world-record hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, lending star power to the new operation almost a year before it opens.
Johnson, who wore his famous golden spikes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics while setting the world record at 200 meters to complete the 200-400 sweep, has long echoed critics in the sport who complain they don't see enough marquee head-to-head matchups. That's in part because there's not enough financial incentive to bring the best to the same meets.
"It's providing the fans and the athletes what they've been asking for,” Johnson said. “I think there's a real opportunity here. They're frustrated at an all-time level with the sport, at the elite level, the way it's been over the last couple of years where they're not compensated and recognized for their tremendous talent.”
Track's yearly schedule is a moving target, highlighted by world championships in odd years and the Olympics every four seasons. In between, the sport is a series of individual meets highlighted by the Diamond League, which conducts around 15 competitions each season and allows athletes to earn points and win a season-long title.
As a sign of the sport's struggles to grab a consistent audience in the U.S., NBC, which televises the Olympics, did not renew its contract with the Diamond League; which will be carried by the subscription website FloTrack in the U.S. beginning in 2025.
Johnson said television is a priority for his new league, which has been in contact with “all the major broadcasters, with a heavy emphasis for us on the U.S."
“I’ve been very pleased with the level of interest and excitement about what we’re building., which sort of validates the idea to some degree,” Johnson said.
Grand Slam Track plans to sign 48 athletes, known as “GST Racers,” to contracts, then to use appearance fees to bring another 48 athletes — “GST Challengers” — to each meet. The athletes will be divided into categories — for instance a short-sprint group will run 100 and 200 meters over the course of a weekend — and they will compete for a $100,000 top prize, with cash being awarded down to eighth place.
“Michael has done a great job putting this together, and just knowing that the future of track and field can grow exponentially and that athletes will have the opportunity to grow the sport and it’s in a place that’s ready to do that,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I’m excited to be a part of that in whatever capacity I can be.”
Johnson said organizers chose the “Grand Slam” title to give the league the same feel as, say, tennis or golf, which each have four majors that stand out among a yearlong schedule. Instead of focusing on times, organizers hope the spotlight will shine on the matchups between top athletes.
“I think this will kind of normalize seeing people through training cycles and in different parts of their training, but still seeing the best of the best compete to the point where they’re just enjoying the fact that get to race one another and seeing a good race,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.
The league has secured more than $30 million in financial commitment. A group called Winners Alliance, described by the league as Johnson's operating partner, was the lead investor.
Though Johnson has long been critical of the way track is run on a global level, he said he does not see the league as a disruptor but rather as a vehicle to add to a sport he feels is undervalued.
World Athletics, the governing body for track, recently made news with a first-of-its-kind plan to award $50,000 to all of this year's Olympic gold medalists. The federation also will start an Ultimate Championship beginning in 2026 that will bring the year's top performers together and award $150,000 first prizes.
Johnson, who has stayed in the sport on a number of levels, including as an analyst for BBC, wants to see track in the spotlight more than once or twice a year.
“I'm motivated by the fact that this is the opportune time to do it,” he said. “The world is looking for something like this that we can step into that void.”
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
FILE - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone waves to the crowd after winning the women's 400 meters during the U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Ore., July 8, 2023. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone plans on defending her title in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympics, and has scratched from the 200 and 400-meter flat races that she had originally signed up for. The world-record holder had been entered in all three races for this month's U.S. Olympic trials, but as of Tuesday, June 18, 2024, she was listed as a “scratch” in the 200 and 400. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Former U.S. athlete Michael Johnson, left, and wife Armine Shamiryan arrive at the Laureus Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid, Monday, April 22, 2024. Sprinting great Michael Johnson is launching a track league that looks to assemble nearly 100 of the sport's top performers four times a year to compete for $12.6 million in prize money over its first season. The league, Grand Slam Track, announced Tuesday, June 18, that it will launch next April with plans for one event in Los Angeles, the home of the 2028 Olympics, one in another American city and two more overseas. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Michael Johnson, of the United States, celebrates after he won the men's 200-meter final in a world record time of 19.32 at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Aug. 1, 1996. Sprinting great Michael Johnson is launching a track league that looks to assemble nearly 100 of the sport's top performers four times a year to compete for $12.6 million in prize money over its first season. The league, Grand Slam Track, announced Tuesday, June 18, 2024, that it will launch next April with plans for one event in Los Angeles, the home of the 2028 Olympics, one in another American city and two more overseas. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s government on Thursday announced that a total of 17 people have been arrested over their alleged involvement in the attempted coup that shook the economically troubled country the day before.
The South American nation of 12 million watched in shock and bewilderment Wednesday as military forces appeared to turn on the government of President Luis Arce, seizing control of the capital’s main square with armored vehicles, crashing a tank into the presidential palace and unleashing tear gas on protesters. In the following hours, the army general who led the attempted coup, Juan José Zúñiga, and an alleged co-conspirator, former navy Vice Adm. Juan Arnez Salvador, were both arrested and remain in custody.
Senior Cabinet member Eduardo del Castillo did not elaborate on the other 15 people who have been arrested. He said one was a civilian identified as Aníbal Aguilar Gómez, whom he called the “mastermind” of the thwarted coup.
Del Castillo said the government was pursuing more suspects and that the alleged conspirators began plotting in May.
Supporters of Bolivia's president rallied outside his palace on Thursday, giving some political breathing room to the embattled leader as they chanted pro-democracy slogans.
Riot police guarded the palace doors and Arce — who has struggled to manage the country's shortages of foreign currency and fuel — condemned Zúñiga.
Analysts say that the surge of public support for Arce, even if fleeting, provides him with a much-needed reprieve from the country’s economic quagmire and political turmoil. The president is locked in a deepening rivalry with the popular former President Evo Morales, his erstwhile ally who has threatened to challenge Arce in 2025 primaries.
“The president’s management has been very bad, there are no dollars, there is no petrol,” said La Paz-based political analyst Paul Coca. “Yesterday’s military move is going to help his image a bit, but it’s no solution.”
Some protesters gathered outside the police station where the former army general was being detained, shouting that he should go to jail. “It’s a shame what Zúñiga did,” said 47-year-old Dora Quispe, one of the demonstrators. “We are in a democracy, not a dictatorship.”
Before his arrest late Wednesday, Zúñiga alleged without providing evidence that Arce had ordered the general to carry out the coup attempt in a ruse to boost the president’s popularity. That fueled a frenzy of speculation about what really happened, and opposition senators and government critics echoed the accusations, calling the mutiny a “self-coup" — a claim strongly denied by Arce's government.
In La Paz's main Plaza Murillo, supporters addressed Arce, yelling “Lucho, you are not alone!” as fireworks exploded overhead. Lucho, a common nickname for Luis, also means “fight" in Spanish.
Some Bolivians said they believed Gen. Zúñiga's allegations on national TV that the coup attempt was a hoax.
“They are playing with the intelligence of the people, because nobody believes that it was a real coup,” said 48-year-old lawyer Evaristo Mamani.
Lawmakers and former officials also bolstered the allegations. “This has been a setup,” said Carlos Romero, a former official in the Morales government. “Zúñiga followed the script as he was ordered."
Soon after the military action was underway, it became clear that any attempted takeover had no meaningful political support. The rebellion ended bloodlessly by the end of the business day. Arce named a new army commander, who immediately ordered troops to retreat.
“Here we are, firm, in the presidential palace, to confront any coup attempt,” Arce said after facing down Zúñiga. Hundreds of the president's supporters surged into streets surrounding the palace Wednesday night, singing the national anthem and cheering for Arce.
Authorities swiftly arrested Zúñiga as his soldiers retreated from central La Paz.
The U.S. deputy secretary of state for management, Rich Verma, condemned Zuniga's actions and speaking in Paraguay on Thursday noted that “democracy remains fragile in our hemisphere.”
The short-lived mutiny followed months of mounting tensions between Arce and ex-President Morales, Bolivia's first Indigenous president. Morales has staged a dramatic political comeback since mass protests and a deadly crackdown prompted him to resign and flee in 2019 — a military-backed ouster that his supporters decry as a coup.
Morales has vowed to run against Arce in 2025 elections despite a constitutional court ruling that said he was ineligible because he had already served. The possibility of Morales running again has rattled Arce, whose popularity has plunged as the country’s foreign currency reserves dwindle, its natural gas exports plummet and its currency peg to the U.S. dollar collapses.
The cash crunch has ramped up pressure on Arce to scrap food and fuel subsidies that have put a strain on state finances, a combustible move ahead of elections.
Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said Wednesday's turmoil had its roots in a private meeting Tuesday in which Arce dismissed Zuñiga over the army chief’s threats to arrest Morales if he proceeded to join the 2025 race. Arce has also denied the legitimacy of Morales’ presidential bid.
In their meeting, Zuñiga gave officials no indication he was preparing to seize power, Novillo said.
"He admitted that he had committed some excesses,” he said of Zuñiga. “We said goodbye in the most friendly way, with hugs. Zuñiga said that he would always be at the side of the president.”
Mere hours later, panic gripped the capital of La Paz. Tailed by armored vehicles and supporters, Zuñiga burst into government headquarters and declared the armed forces sought “to restore Bolivia's democracy."
The influx of soldiers sent Bolivians into a frenzy, thronging ATMs, queuing outside gas stations and ransacking grocery stores. By one count, Bolivia has had more than 190 coup attempts and revolutions since its 1825 independence.
The country’s fragmented opposition rejected the coup before it was clear it had failed. Former interim President Jeanine Áñez, detained for her role in Morales’ 2019 ouster, said that soldiers sought to “destroy the constitutional order," but appealed to both Arce and Morales not to run in the 2025 elections.
Santa Cruz Gov. Luis Fernando Camacho, also detained for allegedly orchestrating a coup in 2019, demanded answers from Arce's government on Thursday.
“Was it a media spectacle put on by the government itself, as General Zúñiga says? Was it just some military madness? Was it simply another example of lack of control?” he wrote on social media platform X.
Zúñiga's answer came as a shock, telling reporters that Arce had asked him directly to storm the palace and bring armored vehicles into downtown La Paz.
“The president told me: ‘The situation is very screwed up, very critical. It is necessary to prepare something to raise my popularity,'” Zúñiga alleged the Bolivian leader told him.
Bolivian officials have denied Zúñiga’s claims, insisting the general was lying to justify his actions. Prosecutors said they'd seek the maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison for Zúñiga on charges of “attacking the constitution.”
Political experts struggling to comprehend the reasons behind Wednesday's turmoil.
“This is the weirdest coup attempt I have ever seen,” said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivia-based research group. “Bolivia’s democracy remains very fragile, and definitely a great deal more fragile today than it was yesterday.”
DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Police guard the government palace the day after a now-ousted Bolivian army chief led some soldiers to storm the building in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The rebellion was short-lived as authorities arrested the general and his soldiers retreated. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A supporter of Bolivian President Luis Arce raises a clenched fist in front of the government palace in Plaza Murillo, in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Arce addressed supporters who gathered in Plaza Murillo, after Wednesday’s apparent failed coup attempt. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Supporters of Bolivian President Luis Arce crowd into Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace located in Plaza Murillo, in an apparent coup attempt on Wednesday against Arce, but he vowed to stand firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Military police block entry to Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of government palace located in Plaza Murillo, on Wednesday, as President Luis Arce said the country faced an attempted coup. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Alicia Chura, a supporter of Bolivian President Luis Arce, shouts against Juan Jose Zuniga, a former top Army general who led some soldiers to storm the presidential palace, outside police offices in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The rebellion was short-lived as authorities arrested Zuniga and his soldiers retreated. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Bolivian President Luis Arce raises a clenched fist surrounded by supporters and media, outside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt against Arce, but he vowed to stand firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
An armored vehicle and military police form outside the government palace at Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday as President Luis Arce said the country faced an attempted coup. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Police guard the government palace the day after a former top Army general led some soldiers to storm the building in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The rebellion was short-lived as authorities arrested the general and his soldiers retreated. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Bolivian police hold the detained Juan Jose Zuniga, former general commander of the Army, in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. An apparent failed coup attempt erupted Wednesday in the country, and Zuniga appeared to be leading the rebellion. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Army Cmdr. Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga sits inside an armored vehicle at Plaza Murillo in La Paz, Bolivia, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Armored vehicles rammed into the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday as President Luis Arce said the country faced an attempted coup. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Supporters of Bolivian President Luis Arce protest against Juan Jose Zuniga, a former top Army general who led some soldiers to storm the presidential palace, outside police offices in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, June 27, 2024. The signs read in Spanish, left, "No to the coup. Respect democracy!" and "Yes to democracy! Jail the coup plotters." Authorities arrested Zuniga and his soldiers retreated the previous day. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
