"VAN" (Sports Desk - 23.11.2024) :: World Athletics has appointed Tata Communications and HBS as the host broadcaster of the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship that will light up the Budapest National Athletics Centre and screens across the globe in 2026.
This agreement builds on the five-year global host broadcasting services deal covering World Athletics Series events that was announced between World Athletics and Tata Communications in June.
HBS brings its years of experience as a world-class host broadcaster to the World Athletics product, leading the push to innovate and expand viewership around the exciting launch of the new Ultimate Championship event and across all World Athletics Series events during the five-year cycle.
World Athletics has also appointed Infront to lead the charge on international media rights sales for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, working in true partnership with World Athletics on a new and coordinated approach to market this made-for-TV event.
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a groundbreaking new global event set to transform the athletics calendar and define which athlete is the best of the best. The inaugural edition of this sensational sports showdown will be held across three evenings of thrilling action on 11-13 September 2026 in Hungary's capital city of Budapest.
With a focus on enhancing the viewing experience – both at home as well as in the stadium – the World Athletics Ultimate Championship will showcase a fast-moving new format for athletics. Staged every two years to fulfil World Athletics’ ambition of having a global championship every year, the event will provide a spectacular conclusion to the summer athletics season, in the years where there is no World Athletics Championships.
Each session will be under three hours in duration, with athletes representing both themselves and their national teams, wearing national kit. The event will be an accelerator for innovation in athletics, using data collected from across the sport.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “This new global event will be a game-changer for our sport and for our athletes. We want to bring our fans athletics like they have never seen it before – with the best of the best athletes in our sport competing head-to-head in a passion-fuelled, high octane, festival of sport, with sound, light and innovation.
“We are also delighted to announce Tata Communications and HBS as host broadcaster. They have an unparalleled track record for delivering world-class live content across multiple platforms and will deliver an innovative and engaging product for our audiences across the globe, a product that is already exciting broadcasters as our highly experienced and talented media partner Infront embarks on its role to sell the rights with a focus on free to air platforms.”
Secretary of State for Sports Adam Schmidt said: “It is a great honour that after the exhilarating World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, the wonderful National Athletics Centre will once again open its doors for a major international sporting event.
“We are delighted to welcome the best of the sport back to Budapest for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. Budapest has become a true sports capital in recent years. I am confident this new event will provide unforgettable sporting moments for sports fans around the world, in addition to promoting athletics in Hungary. What an honour it is to be considered an important partner by World Athletics, we are thankful for this trust. Our main objective in organising international sporting events is to ensure that many of our fellow citizens get to know and love the sport through the performance of the biggest heroes, and incorporate regular physical activities into their lives on a day-to-day basis. I am sure that the World Athletics Ultimate Championship will help us in this mission.”
Dhaval Ponda, Tata Communications Vice President and Global Media Head, added: “Tata Communications is thrilled to partner with World Athletics for the Ultimate Championship, a groundbreaking addition to the global track and field calendar. The latest collaboration marks a new era in fan engagement, one that will deliver a more immersive, high-energy and unparalleled viewing experience. We’re excited to showcase the exceptional athleticism and drama of this unique and innovative format to billions worldwide, pushing the limits of what sports broadcasting technology can achieve.”
“The Ultimate Championship is poised to bring a fresh energy to athletics, engaging audiences worldwide in a way that is new and exhilarating,” said Julien Ternisien, Infront Senior Vice President Summer and Winter Sports. “We are excited to bring our experience and expertise to this landmark event, continuing our partnership with World Athletics alongside the Diamond League to push the boundaries of how the sport is presented and consumed.”
“We are very excited and honoured to be starting this new project with World Athletics, it is a real opportunity to help shape the way coverage of athletics evolves over the coming years – and to have the new Ultimate Championship involved in this mission adds an additional level of interest,” said HBS CEO Dan Miodownik.
“Our partnership with Tata Communications brings together a major leader in technology and infrastructure communication with the experts in host broadcasting, and we believe this perfect match will combine with World Athletics’ ambitious vision. Our selection of long-term athletics experts NCP as our live editorial partner ensures we will bring unparalleled entertainment, through world-class coverage, to athletics fans around the world, as well as attracting new audiences across traditional and new media platforms.”
Disciplines unveiled
In the battle to determine the champion of champions, the world’s best athletes will clash in 28 events across the three evenings of competition. Settling the debate in 16 disciplines, the programme will feature 26 individual events – 16 track and 10 field – plus two relays, including the new mixed 4x100m.
World Athletics Ultimate Championship disciplines:-
100m • Pole vault
• 200m • High jump
• 400m • Long jump
• 800m • Triple jump (W)
• 1500m • Hammer (M)
• 5000m • Javelin
• 100m/110m hurdles • Mixed 4x100m
• 400m hurdles • Mixed 4x400m
World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon said: “The Ultimate Championship was developed to bring together the very best athletes from our sport in a selection of events that bring the athletics stadium to life and allow the viewer to see each and every run, jump and throw across three nights of unmissable ‘made for television’ competition.
“The Ultimate Championship is also a chance for us to really innovate how we deliver our sport, presenting it in new formats and across different platforms which are specifically designed to keep the entire venue engaged, ensuring constant, fast-paced excitement.”
The World Athletics Ultimate Championship will provide the pinnacle of the 2026 track and field season, to define which athlete is the best of the best – pitting world champions, Olympic champions, the Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s best performing athletes against each other, to crown the ultimate champion.
The stakes are high. Those athletes will all be competing for their share of a record-setting prize pot of US$10 million, the largest ever offered in track and field – with champions set to receive US$150,000. Partnerships and enhanced promotional rights for athletes will also unlock greater financial opportunities for the stars and the sport.
Olympic pole vault champion and world record-holder Mondo Duplantis said: “Nothing beats competing in front of a live crowd. Anyone that knows me or has watched me compete knows this is where I thrive. The new Ultimate Championship in 2026 will be the ultimate high in a year when we do not have a World Championships or Olympic Games. Even with fewer events there will still be 26 individual events taking place over just three nights - the pace will be insane. It will be time to fly, so strap in and tune in.”
Gabby Thomas, who won 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, said: “Competing against the best in the world is always a privilege. This new event in 2026 will be incredible and will give the best athletes an opportunity to compete in a major championship in a non-Olympic or World Championships year. It’s great to have an event in 2026 that will give us championship focus, and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship does that. I remember the amazing crowds in Budapest at the 2023 World Championships, so can’t wait to run for gold in 2026.”
Three years on from hosting arguably the most successful World Athletics Championships in history, Hungary’s capital city of Budapest will welcome the stars of the sport once again.
The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship will be held in Budapest’s National Athletics Centre, purpose-built for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23.
Located on the eastern bank of the Danube River on the south side of the city, the National Athletics Centre will provide the perfect stage for almost 400 athletes from around 70 countries to compete for Ultimate Championship honours.
Each event will shine the spotlight on fields featuring between eight and 16 of the world's top-ranked athletes per discipline, with selections based primarily on world rankings.
With no cap on how many stars from each country can compete in each event, it’s not only about where athletes are from. It’s about where they finish.
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