The 500-day countdown to the highly anticipated World Athletics Ultimate Championship has officially begun, but there are no Jamaican athletes among the first 26 qualifiers unveiled by World Athletics.

This inaugural event, set to take place from September 11 to 13, 2026, at the Budapest National Athletics Centre, will feature over 300 of the world’s best track and field athletes competing for a record-breaking prize pool of US$10 million—the largest ever offered in a single track and field event.

Despite Jamaica’s historical dominance in athletics, none of the nation’s athletes have made the initial list of qualifiers, which includes some of the sport’s biggest names. Among the first 26 qualified athletes are Olympic 100m champions Julian Alfred and Noah Lyles, along with Olympic 200m gold medalists Gabby Thomas andLetsile Tebogo, Dominica’s Marileidy Paulino, and the USA’s Quincy Hall (the women’s and men’s Olympic 400m gold medallists) are also among the impressive line-up, alongside world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Thea Fonda, Masai Russell, and Grant Holloway.

In addition to these 26 athletes, the list will expand further to include 26 world champions from the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, 25 Diamond League Final winners from the 2026 season, and the year’s top performers. This will create a fiercely competitive field where world champions and Olympic medalists will go head-to-head with Diamond League winners and the season’s standout athletes, all vying for the title of Ultimate Champion.

The top prize for the Ultimate Champion will be a hefty US$150,000, while runners-up will walk away with substantial rewards: US$75,000 for second place, US$40,000 for third, and US$25,000 for fourth. Finishers in fifth through eighth will still take home impressive sums, with athletes in ninth through 16th also receiving significant payouts, ranging from US$9,000 to US$2,000.

For the relay events, the stakes are equally high, with the winning team earning US$80,000, and second through eighth place finishers walking away with rewards ranging from US$40,000 to US$8,000.

The programme will feature women’s and men’s competition in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, high hurdles, 400m hurdles, pole vault, high jump, long jump and javelin, as well as the women’s triple jump, men’s hammer throw, and mixed 4x100m and 4x400m.

Prize money breakdown (figures in USD)

Individual: 1st $150,000; 2nd $75,000; 3rd $40,000; 4th $25,000; 5th $16,000; 6th $14,000; 7th $12,000; 8th $10,000; 9th $9,000; 10th $8,000; 11th $7,000; 12th $6,000; 13th $5,000; 14th $4,000; 15th $3,000; 16th $2,000

Relays: 1st $80,000; 2nd $40,000; 3rd $24,000; 4th $20,000; 5th $16,000; 6th $14,000; 7th $10,000; 8th $8,000