★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ INTEL REPORT ≡
The schedule is now complete for the first year of the new Grand Slam Track program founded by Atlanta 1996 Olympic sprint icon Michael Johnson, with UCLA’s Drake Stadium confirmed as the fourth venue and the final meet of the 2025 series:
● 04-06 April: Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica (28.500)
● 02-04 May: Grand Slam Track in Miramar, Florida (5,000)
● 30-May-01: Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (52,593)
● 27-29 June: Grand Slam Track in Los Angeles, California (11,142)
Drake Stadium has been a long-time favorite for major meets since opening in 1969 and hosted the then-AAU National Championships in 1974-76-77-78 and a major invitational meet – best remembered as the Pepsi Invitational – from 1977-87 and then sponsored by Jack in the Box in 1989 and 1990.
USA Track & Field has staged its L.A. Grand Prix meet there in 2023 and 2024, and the third edition of that meet is scheduled for 8 June 2025.
The final Grand Slam Track schedule is artfully placed to avoid the early-season Wanda Diamond League meets, but that became impossible with the late June dates:
● 04-06 April: Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica
● 26 April: Diamond League I in Xiamen (CHN)
● 02-04 May: Grand Slam Track in Miramar, Florida
● 03 May: Diamond League II in Suzhou (CHN)
● 10-11 May: World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou (CHN)
● 16 May: Diamond League III in Doha (QAT)
● 25 May: Diamond League IV in Rabat (MAR)
● 30 May-01: Grand Slam Track in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
● 06 June: Diamond League V in Rome (ITA)
● 08 June: USATF L.A. Grand Prix in Los Angeles, California
● 27-29 June: Grand Slam Track in Los Angeles, California
● 29 June: USATF NYC Grand Prix in New York
● 05 July: Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon
Johnson’s project has been modeled, at least in name, on the tennis Grand Slams – Australian, French, Wimbledon, U.S. Open – but the schedule closely parallels the PGA Tour’s golf majors, which place The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open in four consecutive months beginning in April. So it is with the new Grand Slam Track.
The Grand Slam Track meets will include 96 athletes in track events only: 48 seasonally-contracted “Racers” and 48 single-meet “Challengers” in a two-race format:
“Racers and Challengers will be assigned to compete in one of the following categories, and will all race in two events during each Slam: short sprints (100 m/200 m), short hurdles (100H or 110H/100 m), long sprints (200 m/400 m), long hurdles (400H/400 m), short distance (800 m/1500 m), or long distance (3000 m/5000 m).”
Prize money of $100,000 down to $10,000 for eighth place will be available in each race.
¶
Speaking in Colorado Springs, Colorado during the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee General Assembly, USA Track & Field chief executive Max Siegel told The Associated Press that it wants to stage the 2028 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials at the Olympic venue at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum:
“It is no secret that our desire is to have something in the West Coast, and preferably in L.A. We’re going to do everything that we possibly can to try to have our Trials [at the Coliseum].”
The Coliseum was the site of the U.S. Trials in 1952, 1956 and 1964, each time over two days. Beginning in 1972, the Trials expanded to essentially mirror the Olympic schedule, becoming a 10-day program. The 1984 Olympic Trials were held at the Coliseum from 16-24 June, prior to the ‘84 Games track program held in August.
Siegel said that considering the logistics involved – the Coliseum floor was lowered in the 1990s for football and must be raised to hold a temporary track – a 2028 Olympic Trials would be shortened. The story said that “Siegel is hoping to have the issue settled by January.”
For the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, the Trials were also held at the Olympic venue from 14-23 June.
Asked about the comments, the LA28 organizers said in a statement:
“We are exploring the possibility of hosting the 2028 Track and Field Trials at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.”
Scheduling will be the issue, as on-field construction of the new floor and then the installation of the track and infield facilities would start only at the beginning of December 2027 after the USC football season is completed. Moreover, the 2028 Olympic Games will open early, on 14 July 2028, with track & field starting on 15 July.
An Olympic Track & Field Trials scheduled as in 2024 would take place six weeks ahead of the Games, meaning the start of June, very early on the calendar. The 2028 NCAA Division I track & field championships, for example, have already been awarded to Eugene, Oregon for 7-10 June 2028.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 885-event International Sports Calendar for the rest of 2024, 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
