rki.news | Sources Reuters
BUDAPEST, Sept. 13 — World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has welcomed the debut of the Ultimate Championship, saying its faster format could help attract younger audiences and strengthen interest in track and field.
The three-day season-ending event in Budapest introduced a more condensed competition format designed to keep spectators engaged. Race introductions were shortened, while graphics provided additional information including rankings and winning probabilities.
Coe said athletics had spent too much time creating long gaps between races and argued that faster action could make competitions more appealing to younger viewers.
The championship also featured a record prize fund of $10 million, increasing its attraction for leading athletes. More than 20 International Olympic Committee members and officials from other sports attended the event.
Coe described the new championship as a work in progress and said its event programme could be reviewed following the inaugural edition.
Several prominent athletes, including pole vault world record holder Mondo Duplantis and sprint star Noah Lyles, helped promote the event.
Coe said the overall objective was to create a strong season-ending competition capable of engaging a wider global audience and contributing to the future growth of athletics.
