World Athletics Ultimate Championship opens with record $10m prize pot

Published On 11 Sep 202611 Sep 2026The “best of the best” in athletics are preparing to compete in the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship that gets under way in Budapest this weekend.The three-day competition will see 26 Olympic champions from Paris, 26 world champions from Tokyo last year, and this season’s top athletes battle it out to be crowned the best in track and field.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Don’t believe in paying athletes’: IOC’s Coventry stirs social media stormlist 2 of 4Russia stance will be defended in court, pledges World Athletics chief Coelist 3 of 4Dos Santos and Russell set world records in ‘crazy’ Zurich Diamond Leaguelist 4 of 4Adidas faces boycott calls over campaign featuring former Israeli soldierend of listMany return to the stomping ground in the Hungarian capital after successes at the 2023 World Championships, while others have racked up global titles after breakout performances throughout the year.Here’s Al Jazeera’s all-to-know guide to the meet:Who, what, where and when at the Ultimate Championship?The Ultimate Championship is an invite-only competition featuring the Olympic gold medallist, World Championship gold m...