LA Grand Slam Track event cancelled

Final instalment of Michael Johnson’s new project called off due to financial concerns

The fourth and final event of Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track Series, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on June 26-29, has been cancelled due to reported financial problems.

The California Slam had been due to bring the curtain down on the project’s opening season but, as first reported in The Times, the former Olympic champion is expected to inform athletes of the cancellation via video call in the early hours of Friday (June 13).

The league featured six event groups with 48 contracted Racers going up against a variety of Challengers and had an overall prize money pot of $12.6 million. Winners of each Slam took home $100,000.

Following the first two Slams in Kingston, which saw particularly disappointing crowds, and Miami, the Philadelphia event was reduced from its original three-day format to two, and it is understood that organisers had concerns over the venue deal at UCLA for later this month.

An official statement is expected in the coming hours and it is believed plans are in place for the Series to go ahead next year.

Speaking in the February issue of AW, Johnson said: “The metric I’m going to be looking at constantly is growth – in the number of fans that are coming into the stadium and watching, growth of our television audience over the season and growth of our engagement, whether it be social media or otherwise.

“This is a start-up. I’ve been involved in many start-ups and you have to be realistic about what you can expect in year one. You have to be focused on growth and you have to be structured in a way where you can grow. That’s how we’re structured.”

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