Grand Slam Track secures emergency $5.5M funding to pay athletes amid $19M debt

Grand Slam Track (GST), the athletics league founded by Michael Johnson, has secured emergency funding to pay athletes half of the prize money and appearance fees owed from its inaugural 2025 season, which was cut short after financial backers withdrew support. Approximately $5.5 million of the roughly $11 to $13 million owed to athletes has been paid, marking the beginning of GST's efforts to resolve its financial difficulties and potentially return in 2026. The league also faces around $8 million in outstanding debts to vendors that it hopes to renegotiate. GST has committed to spending the next 60 days working to secure additional funding and position itself for a comeback, with athletes expressing cautious support provided all owed money is paid. Despite public claims of $30 million in financial commitments at launch, GST had only received about $13 million, contributing to its financial challenges. The rescue funding was led by Winners Alliance, which has helped stabilize the league and keep employees paid during this recovery phase.