The 'F1 of athletics'? Athlos set for London debut

The all-female track meet Athlos will make its London debut live on the BBC on Friday - and its founder hopes the competition can become the "Formula 1 of track and field".

Created by Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and husband of tennis' 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, Athlos was held in New York for its first two editions in 2024 and 2025.

It was due to expand to a two-day event in 2026, however this year's New York meet scheduled for 2 October was cancelled.

Ohanian said that decision was taken after listening to athlete concerns at the end of a long season, adding that from 2027 Athlos "will move to be aligned with the global athletics calendar".

Many of the world's top athletes competed for a new global title and record prize money at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship last week.

In addition to chasing a top prize of $65,000 (£48,500) in each event, and an Athlos crown designed by Tiffany & Co, athletes will be offered equity in the league - the idea being that they will be rewarded if it is successful.

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter Bell, American sprinters Gabby Thomas and Sha'Carri Richardson, and Dominican 400m runner Marileidy Paulino are among the star names competing.

The event will take place at the StoneX Stadium in Barnet, home of rugby union side Saracens, on Friday, 18 September, with coverage on iPlayer, the Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app from 19:00 BST.

"I've long been very obsessed with this 'F1 for track and field' analogy. We come to expect the fastest cars in the world to tour the greatest global cities, and for people to come out and watch and celebrate this excellence," Ohanian told BBC Sport.

"I envision Athlos to be a version of that and, as we grow this league, I'd love to add more cities and make Athlos truly global.

"Whatever we do, we're going to do it with our athletes as partners - but our ambition is big. I don't see any reason why Athlos can't be a mainstay of the sporting calendar."

The financial difficulties encountered by Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track in its inaugural season last year have been well-documented, but Ohanian says he is determined to close the "historic gap" which has existed between "the economics of women's track and field and the excellence of the talent".

Athlos is owned entirely by Ohanian's venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, which has assets of $900m (£670m) - but athletes will receive a stake so they may also benefit if the competition succeeds.

"The cash compensates their participation and success, and the equity recognises what we're building together. If we get this right, it should properly place these amazing athletes on the same level as they are every four years during the Olympics," said Ohanian.

"This equity is a way for us to have a real partnership. These are the athletes who are the first movers, the ones who are taking a leap and helping us get this started."

Ohanian prioritised athlete input from the outset, reaching out to individuals such as Olympic 200m champion Thomas via social media long before Athlos' inaugural season in 2024.

Speaking to BBC Sport in May, against the backdrop of protest plans by the world's leading tennis players over prize money at the French Open, Thomas, a Harvard graduate with dreams of running her own hospital once her time in the sport ends, said Athlos was sending "a real signal".

"We get a share in what we're helping to build and that's really rare in this sport," said Thomas.

"How can we fail as a league when we have the athletes as partners and helping to build it? We know the sport better than anyone."

Thomas added: "When a young girl watches me race, I want them to see a sport where women are treated with respect and with the economics that we've always deserved, and have something to aspire to.

"The narrative growing up was that you can't run professional track and field, there's nothing in it. I like that we're rewriting that."

Seven disciplines will be contested in London - the 100m hurdles, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, mile, and long jump - with six athletes in each event.

Athletes can earn up to $65,000 (£48,500) in each individual event, with $35,000 (£26,000) on offer for second place and decreasing prize money for all six positions.

Olympic 800m champion Hodgkinson was among the winners at the 2025 meet as some of the world's fastest women competed amid a party atmosphere inside a packed Icahn Stadium in New York, with live music and the Tiffany & Co crowns presented by Serena Williams replacing traditional winners' medals.

Following the addition of a London event in 2026, Ohanian's ultimate aim is to create a worldwide, season-long league.

"I'm at a very fortunate place in my career in my life where I don't want to do anything small. I want to do things that have big impacts, that are about legacy," said Ohanian, who bought a 10% stake in Women's Super League football team Chelsea last year.

"We know we're entering into something really ambitious. This is a big moment for us."

Originally published May 2026, updated September 2026.