Sports
Why Aren't Track Meets Paying Athletes On Time? More On The Economics Of Prize Money
When it first appeared Grand Slam Track was having serious money problems in July, with outstanding prize and appearance fee payments in the amount of nearly $13 million still due from its meets, the response was immediate.
Social media stirred into a frenzy.
“Fyre Festival Track Edition,” one Instagram user wrote in response to a post on the league’s missed payments.
But not everyone jumped to conclusions. There was Carl Lewis, arguably the most decorated Olympic champion in United States history, who deterred. “Diamond League takes longer,” the University of Houston head coach wrote in a response to a post on Instagram. “Stop hating.”
Many others came to the first-year league’s defense, including the likes of Caleb Dean, a recent NCAA champion who turned professional in 2024 (he was also one of the league’s showcase “racers” in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia), and Reggie Jager III, the 2025 U.S. champion in the discus.
Grand Slam Track founder Michael Johnson, meanwhile, appeared twice to confront those issues on live shows and podcasts, including most recently on Justin Gatlin’s ‘Ready Set Go.’
The track league, which boasted $30 million in “financial commitments” when it was announced in June 2024, initially set a deadline for the first installment of its payment plan to athletes by “late July,” but, according to Dennis Young of Front Office Sports, it missed the mark on the heels of the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. With athletes still waiting for their paydays, the topic remains a core issue.
While there are no answers yet, Lewis’ statement did prompt valid questions about the delivery of payments to athletes in the sport. Is this issue bigger than Grand Slam Track? Just how long does it take to issue prize money won during major competitions, and what are normal roadblocks which prevent professional athletes from receiving their earnings?
We spoke with two U.S.-based agents to learn more about the process, including American Track League founder Paul Doyle.
When Athletes Typically Earn Prize Money
The simplest answer as to why earnings are often held up is anti-doping control. For major competitions like the Wanda Diamond League, which requires event operators to run drug screening processes in line with global standards, an athlete must first pass anti-doping testing before prize money is released. Sometimes, that “pass” could take 30 days or more. Using the 2025 Diamond League schedule as an example, there is merit to the idea of delayed payments.
Doyle sent us clearance notices – information gathered by the Athletics Integrity Unit, which is then sent to the Association of Athletic Managers, and then to the managers themselves – for nine Diamond League events.
Here’s the breakdown of how long it took for anti-doping to clear athletes from the conclusion of each meet:
- Xiamen: 39 days
- Shanghai: 32 days
- Rabat: 22 days
- Doha: 31 days
- Rome: 26 days
- Stockholm: 25 days
- Paris: 21 days
- Oslo: 29 days
- Monaco: 17 days
According to this sample size, the longest delay was just over a month. In Monaco, where event operations are among the best in the sport, it took less than three weeks. Based on this data, athletes weren’t waiting very long – at least in theory – for money to hit their bank accounts. One agent we spoke to said the process to transfer prize money to an athlete is typically prompt, too.
“As soon as we receive a payment,” one prominent agent said, “we let them (the athlete) know. We send them a statement and tell them, ‘Here’s how much from this amount is deducted for our commission.’ Here’s what we will send you. That’s the way we operate.”
It should be said, too, that around $9.2 million in prize money is being handed out across 15 Diamond League events in 2025, while another roughly $9 million will cover promotional fees. Winners of most Diamond League events are netting $30,000, while in Diamond+ Disciplines athletes can garner as much as $50,000.
At the USATF Outdoor Championships, a total of $1.1 million was allocated for athletes who reached the final of their events, including $8,800 for winners. Like the Diamond League, each athlete has to clear anti-doping protocols before that money ultimately finds its way into their hands.
Conversely, it’s been 128 days since Grand Slam Track’s event in Kingston, Jamaica; 100 days since its meet in Miami, Florida; and 73 days from its outing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The U.S.-based agent told us he feels penalties could be an answer to non-payments. “There should be consequences,” he said. “Maybe you lose your status, a certain World Athletics label if you’re gold or silver or bronze.”
On a smaller scale, however, payment doesn’t always come through promptly. Doyle says he’s seen this happen, though prior exceptions aren’t dealing with huge sums.
What he’s more concerned with, he said, is the flaws in waiting to release money before anti-doping is completed. While it’s crucial for the reputation of the sport and to maintain fair play, “98 percent of the time,” he said, “an athlete comes back clean.”
“I don’t think it’s a good policy,” he added of holding money. “You might have a meet where you have 150 athletes competing. And maybe 10 of them get tested. You are really looking at six-to-seven percent of the athletes waiting on doping control results.”
But most meets aren’t offering five- or six-figure prize winnings, either.
Getty Images
Sitting At The Doorstep of a Deal
As Johnson revealed recently, Grand Slam Track faced “major cash flow issues” when an investor pulled an eight-figure term sheet from the books.
But deals falling through the cracks aren’t new to track and field.
Meet directors sometimes hinge prize money around the promise of sponsorship dollars. Doyles’ own American Track League, which debuted in 2014 and ran consistently through 2024, recently lost Puma as its main sponsor. As a result, the series did not convene a single meet over the 2025 calendar year.
“Meet directors sometimes have to receive funds from their sponsor in order to pay,” said Doyle, who says he’s currently in conversations with new sponsors for the track series. “There are a whole bunch of boxes you need to check in order for the sponsor to justify the payment. If I have a contract for the American Track League, we have to deliver first. Once we deliver, we send the invoice.”
Costs certainly add up for any meet organizer putting on a major competition, too. For a meet to even reach the guidelines of a World Athletics Continental Tour gold-level label, it’s minimum doping requirements must include “12 urine tests” at the “cost borne by Meet Organizer,” and have over $200,000 in prize money allocated. Often, the cost of hosting a meet doesn’t always secure a return on investment.
There’s no doubt Doyle understands the economics of the low-margin business. It sometimes also comes at a personal cost. In 2014, during the first year of his American Track League series, the average expense of each meet was $85,000.
“We had five events that year that I paid out of my pocket,” he said. “We didn’t have any sponsors. I was basically able to pay the first couple of meets, but I had to wait for my company to make more money to pay off the debts.”
Much like Grand Slam Track’s issues, Doyle faced his own about a decade ago. But the 52-year-old agent and meet director rebounded and paid those debts. Only, he wasn’t wasn’t facing millions of dollars due.
On the other side, Doyle says he’s also experienced a few meets where one of his athletes wasn’t paid by a meet organizer. Nearly two decades ago, Asafa Powell ran at an event in Belgrade, Serbia. He still hasn’t been paid for it.
The U.S. agent we spoke to says he’s heard of others as well. He said one major U.S. meet which often features the sport’s top athletes struggles to pay on time, too—he’s aware of that timeline being close to a year even.
Bearing a Force Majeure – a God-like event preventing an event from happening – contracts are explicitly written for meets to be held accountable for their liabilities. Most track meets can handle a small hiccup.
The difference with Grand Slam Track is a matter of scale.
“You often deal with delays,” the agent said. “It’s not $100,000, though. It’s usually a maximum of $10,000 or a lot less.”
NEW YORK – Columbia track & field opened the 2026 indoor season with multiple podium finishes, personal bests, and program marks at the TCNJ Lions Invitational on Friday inside the Armory.
FIELD EVENTS
Columbia turned in a strong showing across the field events. In the women’s pole vault, Jessica Thompson led the Lions with a third-place finish after clearing a personal best mark of 3.80m and is currently at the 64th spot in the nation. Seraiah Bruno and Lucy Markow each cleared 3.50m, with Bruno recording a season best.
On the men’s side of the pole vault, Liam Wright delivered a runner-up finish with a clearance of 4.55m, while Gavin Holcombe placed fifth at 4.40m.
In the high jump, Collin Moore led Columbia with a third-place finish in the men’s competition after clearing 1.95m. On the women’s side, Norina Khanzada and Fiona McKenna each cleared 1.50m, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Zayna Flynn represented Columbia in the women’s shot put, placing ninth with a mark of 8.17m. In the men’s shot put, Adam Jaros finished 10th with a throw of 10.27m.
RUNNING EVENTS
Columbia delivered a strong performance on the track. In the men’s sprints, Matthew Mazero captured the 200m title with a time of 21.85, earning the 84th spot in the nation while Zach Willen followed closely in second at 21.98. The duo returned to the track in the 60m finals, where Mazero placed third with a time of 7.02, and Willen added a personal best with a 7.12 race effort.
The men’s 40 relay quartet of Evan Singleton, Caden Cutchall, Zach Willen, and Matthew Mazero sped past the competition, finishing second with a time of 3:20.79. Cutchall also impressed in the 500m, placing third in the 50 competition with a personal-best 1:04.99, while Haydn Brotschi posted a personal best time of 33.98 to finish second in the 300m.
On the women’s side, Columbia placed third in the 4×400 relay, crossing the line in 4:10.82 behind a strong effort from Kylie Castillo, Jayla Johnson, Olivia Dada, and Roya Amirhamzeh. Castillo also added a fifth-place finish in the 200m with a time of 26.16, while Olivia Sterling finished sixth in the 60m finals at 8.00.
In the middle-distance events, Roya Amirhamzeh clocked 1:21.85 in the 500m, while the Lions continued to post solid depth performances in the 300m, led by Kylie Castillo, who ran 41.23.
UP NEXT
The Lions are heading to Yale for an Ivy competition against Yale and Dartmouth on Saturday, January 17, with field events scheduled at 11 am and running events scheduled at 2:30 pm
Stay up to date on all things Columbia track & field by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsXCTF), Instagram (@culionsxctf) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
BOULDER — Head coach Ann Elliott Whidden and her Colorado lacrosse team returned to the field inside the Ford Practice Facility on Thursday, officially marking the start of the 2026 season.
The Buffaloes enter their 13th season in 2026, all under the direction of Whidden, who has compiled a 130-75 record.
“It is great to be back with this team,” Whidden expressed. “This group is highly focused and motivated to get to work and we have had a great start to our spring practices. The intensity and competitiveness they bring everyday has been great to see.”
Colorado played seven fall warm-up games, including a pair against the team’s season-opening opponent, Northwestern. The Buffs also played exhibition games against Canada’s U20 National Team, Marquette, Denver, and Stanford before their annual scrimmage against CU alums.
The 2025 Buffs finished 8-8 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play, earning the No. 2 seed in the inaugural Big 12 Tournament. Returning defender Jess Peluso scored Nike Lacrosse Media All-America honorable mention honors last season and was the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Sophomore goaltender Elena Oh won four Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week awards last year and was selected to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. She led the Big 12 and ranked 18th in the NCAA with a 9.81 goals-against average in her freshman season. Oh was also third in the conference with a .399 save% and made 5.93 saves per game (5th Big 12).
Also returning in 2026 are All-Conference selections Maddie Shoup and Lily Assini. The offensive duo finished second and third on the team in points last season, respectively. Shoup totaled career-highs in goals (30) and assists (13) for 43 total points. Assini totaled 16 goals and a career-high 23 assists for a career-best 39 points.
Colorado scored 178 total goals in 2025 and returns 57% of its scoring from a year ago.
“We are so excited for the spring and the challenges we have on our schedule,” Whidden added. “We are looking forward to taking the next few weeks to lock in on ourselves and just focus on getting better everyday so we are prepared for those opportunities. This is a great group and I’m just really looking forwarding to seeing what we can do this season!”
Nine true freshmen will look to compete for some key roles this spring. Whidden added newcomers Rowan Edson, Georgia Rios and Sophia Yeskulsky to the attack, Charlotte Yeskulsky, Alison Stevens, Julia Etu and Parker Lemm to the middles and Hailie Abrams and Ryann McLeod to the defensive corps. Jillian Kane joins the goalie depth chart, having played her first two seasons at Colby College.
The season gets underway with a trip to Evanston, Ill., to play national runner-up Northwestern on Feb. 9. The Buffs’ first home game is set for Feb. 15 against Cornell.
For more information on Colorado Lacrosse, please visit cubuffs.com/wlax. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffswlax on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook.
A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Marinkovic joins the 49ers from NC State where she spent her freshman season, appearing in one match and tallying one kill. Before college, she attended Gimnazija “Branko Radičević” Stara Pazova where she earned first team All-Region honors. Academically, she earned a diploma for excellent achievement. The outside hitter finished first in all pioneer, cadet and junior competitions while playing club.
“I really loved the energy I felt watching the games,” said Marinkovic. “I’ve heard great things about how kind and supportive the coaches, staff, and players are, and how hard everyone works. It also means a lot to me to have my former teammate, Jovana, going through this process with me.”
During the 2020-21 club season, she placed third in the Serbian Prva Liga with OK Omladinac and went on to finish first the following year. At the 2024-25 Servia SuperCup, she placed second with Jedinstvo Stara Pazova.
New seating options are available for fans this season. Basic general admission tickets are $17 after fees while premium general admission tickets, located near the finish line with chairbacks included, are $28 after fees.
| LEONARD HILTON MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, Jan. 10 | Field Events: 10 a.m. | Running Events: 1:30 p.m. |
| Teams | Houston (Host), Huston-Tillotson, Jacksonville College, Lamar, Prairie View A&M, Rice (Men), Sam Houston, St. Thomas (TX), Texas, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Kingsville, Texas Southern, UTRGV |
| Location | LLH Healthcare Indoor Track inside Yeoman Fieldhouse | Houston, Texas |
| Live Stats | Results |
| Watch | YouTube |
| Meet Information | Meet Information and Links |
| Social Media | X: @uhcougartf | Instagram: @uhcougartf | Facebook: H-Town Speed City Track and Field | #GoCoogs | #HTownSpeedCity |
STARTING LINE NOTES
- The Cougars begin their indoor season by hosting the Leonard Hilton Memorial Invitational at LLH Healthcare Indoor Track inside Yeoman Fieldhouse.
- LLH Healthcare was named the official naming rights partner of the indoor track facility on Dec. 11, 2025.
- Renovations to the indoor track will take place following the indoor season.
- Houston returns 26 men and 22 women, including eight All-Americans in junior Michaela Mouton, graduate Trey East III, sophomore Damarien Jacobs, graduate Grant Levesque, graduate Jamar Marshall Jr., junior Antrea Mita, senior Ryan Mulholland and sophomore King Taylor.
- Jamar Marshall Jr. will compete during the indoor season but has no remaining outdoor eligibility.
- Houston welcomes nine transfers, including NCAA DII All-American senior Dakari Charlton and NJCAA All-American’s junior Ruth Agadama, junior Kevin Brooks, and junior Mouhameth Fall.
- Houston also adds a total of 23 freshmen to the squad, with 14 on the women’s side and nine on the men’s side.
- At the 2025 Big 12 Indoor Championship, Houston claimed four conference titles with two champions returning to the squad this season. The men’s squad placed fifth overall and the women finished 14th.
- Grant Levesque secured his second consecutive Big 12 Heptathlon title and Antrea Mita was crowned the men’s high jump champion.
- At the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Antrea Mita earned First Team All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the high jump. Jamar Marshall Jr. secured Second Team All-America honors with a 16th-place finish in the men’s 60-meter hurdles.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Track and Field by providing NIL opportunities, purchasing tickets and joining the Podium Club, which provides support directly to Houston Track and Field for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team’s Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
– UHCougars.com –
GRETNA, Neb. (WOWT) – Jordan Larson shared a big announcement in a news conference for LOVB Nebraska Volleyball, formerly known as LOVB Omaha, on Friday morning.
Larson, a four-time Olympic Medalist and LOVB Nebraska founding athlete, shared that she will be stepping away from pro volleyball after the 2026 season.
Although she will not be playing beyond the current campaign, Larson said that she will continue leading a new ownership group for the team.
The announcement was also shared on social media Friday.
“From Nebraska gyms to the biggest stages in the world…Thank you for carrying home with you, everywhere you went. We can’t wait to honor you and your legacy all season long,” the post reads.
The event started at 9 a.m. Friday at the team’s new indoor training facility in Gretna — opened just last November. Jordan started off the news conference with a message for her fans.
LOVB Nebraska will hold its home opener against LOVB Houston at 3 p.m. Sunday at Baxter Arena in Omaha. The 2026 season will be its second ever in existence.
You can watch Larson play right here on WOWT from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 as Nebraska takes on Madison.
LOVB Nebraska lost 3-2 in its season opener against LOVB Austin on Wednesday.
Last August, the group rebranded from LOVB Omaha to LOVB Nebraska “to capture the unique place that Nebraska occupies in the world of volleyball and its community’s tremendous passion for the sport statewide,” a release states.
Also as part of the rebrand, Larson was named to her new ownership role and former Creighton Volleyball coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth was named as president of business operations.
“Unfortunately my career is closer to the end than it is the beginning. So thinking post-volley, what does that look like and how do I see my impact in the sport?” Larson told First Alert 6 last August. “While there will be a learning curve, I’m excited to see will see what this position will look like moving forward.”
In its first year in existence last year, League One Volleyball completed its postseason on April 13. Omaha ended its first season as league runner-up, after entering the playoffs as the last-place team.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Vanderbilt track and field’s Janie Ford and Falon Spearman broke a pair of program records on Friday at the Rod McCravy Memorial Track & Field Meet.
Commodores tallied a total of 13 marks ranking in the program’s all-time top 10 and 10 personal bests.
Mackenzie Dagrosa got things started for the Dores with a third-place performance in the high jump. The sophomore cleared 1.75 meters, a mark that is tied for fifth in Vanderbilt history. In the same event, Rowan Houston came within a centimeter of her personal best, registering a 1.70-meter mark. She finished the event tied for fourth place.
Ford broke the school record in the long jump, registering a 6.18-meter mark to place first among freshmen and fourth overall.
Vanderbilt’s pole vaulting duo of Olivia Kosanovich and Jacqueline Rose cleared the 3.75-meter bar. It is a collegiate best for both student-athletes and the eighth-best mark in program history.
On the track, London Jackson-Bray and Alima Kassim qualified for the 60 meters semifinals with respective times of 7.42 and 7.57 seconds, both marks ranking top 10 in program history. Kylah Woods also added her name to the Vanderbilt record books, clocking 7.60 seconds in her collegiate debut. The time is No. 7 in school history. Jackson-Bray moved onto the event final with a semifinals time of 7.43 seconds.
Ford, Taylor McKinnon, Devyn Parham, F. Spearman and Santana Spearman, qualified for the 60-meter hurdles semifinals, where every Dore improved her time. F. Spearman’s 8.17-second mark, which is a personal best and school record, earned her a spot in Saturday’s final. Ford clocked 8.50 seconds, the No. 8-ranked time in Vandy history.
Madyson Wilson recorded a personal-best in the 600 meters for the second consecutive meet. Her time of 1:30.32 is ranked No. 2 all-time at Vanderbilt. In her first meet as a Commodore, Jayden Hill registered the third-best mark in school history, crossing the finish line in 1:31.17. In the same event, Kenyah Conner matched her personal best with a time of 1:31.72.
To end Day 1, Betsy Jepkemei led Vandy runners in the 1,000 meters, turning in a time of 2:46.55, good for third place and No. 2 all-time at Vanderbilt. Kelty Oaster and Mackenzie Culpepper followed in fourth and sixth place, respectively. Oaster’s time of 2:47.50 is fourth in school history, and Culpepper’s 2:51.53 mark is ranked No. 10 in program history.
Action in Louisville continues Saturday at 9:30 a.m. CT with the shot put. Live results are available online.
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