GRAND SLAM TRACK™ Announces Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as Host City for Third 2025 Slam Event

Philadelphia joins Miami, Kingston, and Los Angeles as the confirmed Host Cities for 2025. Event will take place at historic Franklin Field, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania

New York, NY (November 14, 2024) - Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today announced that Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will be the fourth and final host city for its 2025 season. With Philadelphia rounding out the list, the full lineup of locations now also includes Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, and Los Angeles. The final calendar for the 2025 Grand Slam Track™ season, including the location and date for the Los Angeles Slam, will be released tomorrow.

“Philly has a reputation for bringing intensity to every event, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for with Grand Slam Track™,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner. “There’s a unique energy in this city, and we’re excited to see how the athletes respond to that. Philadelphia’s sports culture is something else, and it’s going to elevate the competition.”

Philadelphia’s strong sports identity and devoted fan base make it an ideal location for Grand Slam Track™. The Philadelphia Slam will be held at Franklin Field, at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on May 30th, 31st, and June 1st, where the world’s fastest racers will compete. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, December 6th. For more information, please visit https://grandslamtrack.com/events 

“We can’t wait to see the best track athletes in the world add to the rich history of outstanding competition in Franklin Field when Grand Slam Track™ comes to Philadelphia,” said Steve Dolan, James P. Tuppeny/Betty J. Costanza Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, Frank Dolson Director, Penn Relays, University of Pennsylvania. “We look forward to working with Michael Johnson and his team to create a first-class environment for the athletes and an exceptional experience for the fans.”

Each year, 48 athletes will be named as Grand Slam Track™ Racers. The roster of Racers already announced features stars from across the world of track: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Melissa Jefferson, Masai Russell, Quincy Hall, Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Grant Fisher, Josh Kerr, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Ackera Nugent, Roshawn Clarke, Nikki Hiltz, Cyrena Samba-Mayela, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Alison Dos Santos, Ronald Kwemoi, Muzala Samukonga, Clement Ducos, Marileidy Paulino, Jess Hull, Daniel Roberts, Shamier Little, Marco Arop, Devon Allen, Jasmine Jones, Jereem Richards, Luis Grijalva, Rushell Clayton, Agnes Ngetich, & Tsigie Gebreselama. Fans can now be certain they will see all the superstars listed above in action in Philadelphia in late May and early June 2025.

These racers are selected by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors to include the fastest and best racers in each race group, with a focus on fierce rivalries and thrilling competitive racing. GST Racers commit to racing in all four Slams per year. They will receive an annual base compensation for racing in each Slam and are eligible for full prize money. These GST Racers will receive annual contracts, access to the GST content and data services team, inclusion in the league collective, group licensing and new revenue opportunities, plus access to world class athlete support services throughout the season. GST racers are compensated under contract to race and promote the league and receive additional marketing and branding support.

The remaining 48 racers will be known as GST Challengers and will be paid a set appearance fee to compete at individual Slams. GST Challengers are chosen by the Grand Slam Track™ Racing Committee based on a combination of factors including recent performances, and the most intriguing athletes and matchups. 

Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100m/200m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100m), long sprints (200m/400m), long hurdles (400H/400m), short distance (800m/1500m), or long distance (3000m/5000m). All competitors’ final placement score will be determined by their combined finishing order between the two races. In the event of a tie across the two events, it will be the athlete who had the quickest combined time across the two races who will be deemed the winner. The winner of each Slam group will take home $100,000 in prize money, and the 8th place competitor will earn $10,000. Grand Slam Track™ will have a total of $12.6m of prize money that will be awarded across the slams each year in addition to the base compensation and appearance fees paid to racers. 

The focus of Grand Slam Track™ is on head to head competition, not winning times. There will be no rabbits or pacing lights. Each Slam is equally as important as any other, will have its own prize purse, and will be independently scored, with points and previous finishes not carrying over to the following Slams. All racers will compete twice over the three-day event, and all Slam events will meet World Athletics regulations, with achieved marks being eligible for rankings and standards. 

Racers will compete in their own sponsored kits, without traditional hip numbers or bibs. Racers and Challengers are encouraged to work with their sponsors to create customized kits, in their own desired style. Grand Slam Track™ has no affiliation or sponsorship agreement with any shoe company; all shoe companies are considered to be important stakeholders and partners in the promotion of our racers.

Grand Slam Track™ has secured more than $30 million in financial commitments from investors and strategic partners for the launch of the league. Winners Alliance, a global, athlete-centric commercial solution and Johnson’s operating partner, was the lead investor in the first fundraising close for the new venture. The investment in the league will aid in Johnson’s ultimate goal: to develop better engagement with fans by promoting track and field’s biggest stars and reaching new audiences with unique, innovative storytelling.

Ticket sales information will be released in due course. For further information, please follow @GrandSlamTrack on all social media platforms, and visit grandslamtrack.com.

About Michael Johnson

Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael Johnson is a Hall of Fame track and field star, universally recognized as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships across his career, and held world and Olympic records in both the 200m and 400m races. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Johnson became the first and only male athlete to win the Gold medal in both the 200m and 400m at the same Olympics. Since retiring from active competition, Johnson has become a serial entrepreneur and investor, as well as highly sought after performance mindset speaker and an award winning television commentator. Johnson has been a pundit for the BBC’s coverage of every Olympics Games since Athens 2004, and remains a key voice on, and advocate for the sport. Johnson was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ben Sosenko [email protected]

Callum Squires [email protected] On behalf of Grand Slam Track