New York (AFP) – Beneath the towering, neon-lit billboards of Times Square, six of the world’s top long jumpers are soaring through the air, turning one of New York’s most iconic streets into an unlikely athletics stage. Thursday night’s eye-catching spectacle marked the one-year anniversary of Athlos, the women-only track and field event venture backed by Reddit co-founder and entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian. After launching in New York last year, Athlos returned to the Big Apple this week with a twist: holding the long jump qualifiers in the heart of the city, with reigning Olympic and world long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall taking center-stage. The main competition resumed Friday in a traditional stadium.
Ohanian, who is married to tennis legend Serena Williams, said Athlos was launched with the mission of providing a platform for track and field, which struggles for attention in the United States outside of the Olympic Games. “What are the biggest sports during these Olympics? Track and field, they get the most viewers,” Ohanian said. “There’s a legacy of American excellence, especially among the women, and where do they go in between?” Determined to bring athletics to “an even bigger audience, more consistently,” Ohanian’s venture has won support from some of the biggest names in track and field, notably Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas, former world 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson and long jump star Davis-Woodhall.
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The result is a sporting event broadcast on television and via social media (attracting some three million viewers last year) which includes entertainment from music stars such as R&B singer Ciara, and above all, puts female athletes and their interests at the center of Athlos’s decision-making. “We’re getting catered to like professional athletes. We’re getting paid like professional athletes,” was the positive verdict from American Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell. Prize money on offer is significantly higher than the athletics standard: $60,000 for winners — compared to $30,000 for the winners of the final round of the main international circuit, the Diamond League — plus $250,000 for a world record. In addition, 10% of the revenue generated by the meeting is distributed among its 39 participants. Winners also receive a crown designed by jewelers Tiffany & Co, and the athletes participate in a photoshoot before the competition.
“It’s very glamorized, and it feels very professional and fun,” said Grace Stark, a world 100m bronze medallist in Tokyo last month. “It’s exciting to experience it, and you kind of feel a little bit more important, and like your sport is really recognized.” The next step, in 2026, is for Athlos to become a fully-fledged circuit, with several meetings per year contested by athletes in teams.
Ohanian promises to make further announcements about the 2026 schedule by the end of the year. But one key element of his plan was revealed this week: the businessman wants Athlos teams to represent sports equipment manufacturers, with revenue generated through merchandising. “There is something that the sport, as tremendous and valuable as it’s been, has never been able to tap into at business level that we can with this team model,” Ohanian said. Athlos is hoping to find success where other fledgling track and field ventures have failed. Grand Slam Track, the circuit launched by US track and field legend Michael Johnson earlier this year with a bold vision of transforming the sport, has already collapsed, with many athletes unpaid.
“I know nothing about that business. I can’t speak to what they did wrong,” Ohanian said, acknowledging that Athlos “has not been a profitable endeavor yet.” “But we knew that going into it,” he adds. “And so we set expectations around everything, again, with our athletes, with our team, but we were willing to make that investment. We had the money to do it. And then by bringing brand partners along the way, it continues to compound.” The goal here is obviously to build a highly profitable league, and then it’s a question of how soon. “LA 28 is a great goal for us, because obviously Olympics are coming to LA, and I’d love to have some big headlines going into that but take day by day.”
© 2024 AFP
