"We are changing the game" - Michael Johnson announces groundbreaking update for Grand Slam Track

Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track has embraced betting for its inaugural season in 2025 and has selected Stats Perform as its exclusive global data and betting stats partner. Johnson revealed that the introduction of betting was a demand from fans.

While betting has become ingrained in all of the major sports, it is significantly new in track and field and isn't usually available on major sportsbooks. While this is mainly because track is not a premier sport and racer lineups come out late, GST president Steve Gera claimed that many sportsbooks did offer bets during the Paris Olympics last year.

Stats Perform already collaborates with the NFL, the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the WTA, and the FIBA, and GST will be the latest edition when it debuts in April this year.

Johnson, who raised $30 million in investments for the league last year, said fans had been asking him about betting for a long time.

"The number of times fans have tweeted at me saying @GrandSlamTrack should have betting, and I couldn’t respond! But today we announce! We are changing the game!!!," Michael Johnson wrote

The introduction of betting will attract casual fans faster to the sport, per Gera, who also revealed that the deal was signed just after three conversations.

"We believe is going to be able to help bring casual fans into the sport at a much, much faster pace,” Gera told Sportico. “[Stats Perform] understood the power of track as a sport and racing as a discipline, and the simplicity of it really spoke to them.”

The league has some of the biggest names on its roster, including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas. It will award a staggering $100,000K to the winners, the highest-ever prize money in the sport's history. The first race of the league is slated for April 4 in Kingston, Jamaica.

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Michael Johnson addresses why he didn't include field events in Grand Slam Track

Michael Johnson during the Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024 - Source: Getty

Athletics as a sport includes both track as well as field events, and when Michael Johnson snubbed the latter form his Grand Slam Track, the Olympic champion received a fair share of criticism.

However, Johnson believes he could only save track and suggested that adding field events to the GST wouldn't have worked financially for the league.

"Grand Slam Track is track, that is what we're doing. I am going to save what I think I can save; I think I can save track, I don't think I can save track and field," Johnson told BBC

"Putting the two together works at the Olympics and World Championships, but I'm not sure it works when you're trying to create a professional sport outside of those global competitions."

Johnson has finalized the signing of all 48 racers to the league and they are all expected to earn substantial contracts. The league also unveiled its initial six Challengers for the Kingston meet, including reigning world champion Danielle Williams.