Michael Johnson, a specialist in the 200 and 400 meters and winner of four Olympic medals,who held the world record for the 400 meters with 43.18 seconds until Rio 2016, stated that the Grand Slam Track will debut in April 2025 with two three-day meetings in the United States and two international stops, with prizes of around $3 million (€2.8 million)  at each event.

Among the locations, the current BBC commentator confirmed that one will be in the USA, specifically in Los Angeles, the host city for the 2028 Olympics.

'People love racing. People want to see the best of the best. And at the core of Grand Slam Track are the best athletes, only the fastest, competing head to head four times a year,' Johnson said.

The meetings will feature only track races, with no field events, divided into categories of short sprints, long sprints, high hurdles, low hurdles, middle distance, and long distance, with men's and women's races in each category.

Each category will have athletes competing in two events per meeting; for example, short sprint competitors will race in both the 100m and 200m.

It is estimated that there will be $12.6 million (€11.7 million) in prize money up for grabs across the four events, in addition to base pay and appearance fees.

The athlete with the best combined results from the two events in which they participate will receive $100,000 (€93,000), with the second place earning $50,000 (€46,500), and the eighth place taking home $10,000 (€9,300).

'It's a little over $3 million in prize money for each of our Slams,' said Johnson, who was born in Dallas 56 years ago.

'At the end of the day, these athletes deserve to be compensated for their talent and for what they bring, and we're doing that,' emphasized Johnson, who had great appearances in international athletics during the 1990s.

The new circuit has received significant support from Carl Lewis, an American athletics legend, who was in Los Angeles for Tuesday's announcement. Lewis said the project would help create a more marketable sport by guaranteeing the participation of the best athletes four times a year.

'If you go to any Grand Slam in tennis or golf, you know the best are going to be there, so you actually plan to watch,' said Lewis. 'Right now (in track) you don't know that.'

Among the participants, the new league has signed the 400m hurdles world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who will be among the 48 athletes under contract to Grand Slam Track and is committed to competing in all four meetings of the season.

'I firmly believe this is the step forward that track needs to take it to another level,' said McLaughlin-Levrone, expressing her excitement about the opportunity to compete against rivals like the Dutch 400m hurdles competitor Femke Bol more frequently.

'That’s the whole point of Grand Slam Track: getting a more regular basis of the best of the best in each event,' said McLaughlin-Levrone about testing herself against Bol. 'I’m sure (Bol) will be part of that.'

'There is a lot of money behind it and I think it's going to be very special for the sport overall and for the growth of Track and Field,' said the 24-year-old American.

Another 48 athletes will be invited to participate based on 'their track record and current form' and will be paid appearance fees to take part.

A statement added that Grand Slam Track has already secured more than $30 million (€28 million) in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the new league.

Meanwhile, Johnson defended the decision to exclude field events from the circuit, arguing that focusing exclusively on track races allows for greater attention from fans.

'We are committed to one event at a time,' explained Johnson. 'You won’t see multiple activities happening simultaneously when you’re watching a Grand Slam Track event on television or attending in person.'

'With one event at a time in a three-hour window, we don't have space to include field events,' concluded Johnson, who participated in three Olympic Games."