"World Relays is an example of a constant problem with track"- Michael Johnson enrages over the latest International major event ahead of the Olympics

Legendary sprinter Michael Johnson recently expressed his displeasure over the way the World Athletics Relays were conducted and resented to the world. The international event was one of the major events of the Olympic season that would grant relay teams qualification to the coveted Paris Olympics later this year.

The World Athletics Relays were held in the Bahamas and featured some of the best athletes in the world competing for a spot in the relay races of the Paris Olympics. Johnson has been very critical about how such a major event was conducted.

Johnson took to X to express his displeasure over how the event was not 'fan-focussed.' He felt that the event considered fans an 'afterthought ', which is one of the major reasons the sport does not reach a wider audience despite it being entertaining and showcasing incredible performances.

"World Relays is an example of a constant problem with track. Amazing event! But feels like the primary focus is providing an opportunity for athletes and federations, and fans are an after thought. Broadcast was poor and stands were half full for an event I believe the casual fan would find incredibly entertaining. But requires a fan focused strategy. Too much of track is structured as “this is our event for us”. Kind of like opening a restaurant set up to serve just your family and wondering why you have no customers," he tweeted.

Michael Johnson on his mission to promote track and field

Olympic & Paralympic Games, Paris 2024 and Beyond - Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024

Michael Johnson has been striving tirelessly to promote track and field and retrieve the sport to its previous glory. The legendary American athlete expresses his opinion about the ongoing track and field events as well as athletes on social media.

He has repeatedly expressed the need to bring about a change in track and field events and transform it into a more fan-focussed event in the likes of the NBA. Johnson believes that bringing such changes would transform the sport and a bigger audience would accept it.

Despite featuring some of the best athletes, track and field events other than the Olympics and the World Championships, fail to gain traction among fans.

To counter this issue, Michael Johnson has been working on launching a new track and field league that would be completely fan-focused and help unlock the commercial value of the sport