Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson reacts to the use of Wavelight technology at 2025 European Indoor Championships

Former American track athlete and Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson recently reacted to a fan questioning the use of the Wavelight at the 2025 European Indoor Championships (March 6-9). This comes just a month before his league's first event in Kingston (April 4-6).

The Wavelight technology is said to be embedded in the indoor track event to give the fans a clearer perspective about the races and also help the athletes. The technology consists of having numerous LED lights placed in the tracks.

One of the fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his perspective on the introduction of this technology in the Championships. The post stated that Wavelight technology can be used for light shows before the event and is not beneficial for the races.

Johnson reacted to the post and enquired whether the track and field fans wanted this type of technology in the events. He wrote:

"Do fans want this?"

Michael Johnson explains the demand for leagues like GST in the existing track circuit

Michael Johnson speaking on the stage wearing a black blazer during the 2018 Laures World Sports Awards in Monaco (Image via: Getty Images)

Michael Johnson shared his perspective on the demand for a new event like the Grand Slam Track among athletes in the circuit. In an interview, Johnson stated that as an athlete, he wanted to compete in major events where the pressure was high and he would get to compete against the best competitors.

He used this ideology on the current circuit and said the athletes probably want their races to have an importance that the GST strives to fulfill. He said (via Athletics Weekly):

"I loved competing in the big championships," Johnson was quoted as saying by Athletics Weekly. "If you gave me an opportunity to compete against the best, that’s what I wanted to do. All of my records came when there were high stakes and I ran my best when I was competing against the best, so that’s what I wanted. For most of these athletes, I think that’s what they want as well. That’s one of the things they cite – ‘I want the races to mean something. I want to compete against my rivals and that’s what’s going to bring out the best in me’."

During the interview, Michael Johnson also stated the major drawback of the track is that the sport doesn't have a particular league of its own and gets compared to the NBA and NFL which are leagues in their respective sports.