BBC not planning to use Johnson in 2026 coverage

March 17, 2026 No Comments

BBC not planning to use Johnson in 2026 coverageImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Michael Johnson has mentioned no Grand Slam Track events will be held in 2026 unless all athletes are paid for last yearByJane Dougall, BBC Sport correspondent and Harry Poole, BBC Sport journalistPublished11 minutes agoThe BBC is not planning to use four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson in its athletics coverage this year.Johnson’s Grand Slam Track league (GST) collapsed in December 2025, leaving athletes and creditors unpaid.Contracted runners were promised lucrative prize money and salaries in the competition’s inaugural season, but the final event was cancelled and organisers later voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in the US.

Johnson has been a pundit and commentator for the BBC since 2001 but has not worked for the broadcaster since the Paris 2024 Olympics.

After that he began to focus on his work with GST, and sources told BBC Sport there are no plans for him to appear on the BBC in 2026.

The Association of Athletics Managers, which represents a number of competitors, mentioned in January that GST had debts of more than $30m (£22.5m).

Former world 1500m champion Josh Kerr was one of the British athletes invited to be part of the league, and legal documents filed with a bankruptcy court for the US district of Delaware claim he is owed $168,750 (£123,000).

The documents also allege that:

Matthew Hudson-Smith – European 400m champion in 2022, and 2023 world and 2024 Olympic silver medallist – is owed $147,500 (£107,500).
Daryll Neita – an Olympic silver medallist in the 4x100m in 2024 – is owed $28,750 (£21,000).
Dina Asher-Smith – the 2019 200m world champion – is owed $24,500 (£17,850).

Speaking to BBC Sport, Olympic silver medallist Kerr mentioned: “Of course I’m frustrated – I’m owed a lot of money.

“In any business, anyone is going to be frustrated [with that]. I just don’t particularly know right now where to push those frustrations and where they should sit.

“I don’t think these are bad people. I’m standing with the people that I signed with. I think that they are good people. I think this is just a horrible situation.”

Johnson accused of paying himself £375,000

Three GST events were held – in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia – before the project collapsed in December 2025.

The legal filing in Delaware includes an accusation that Johnson paid himself $500,000 (£375,000) eight days before it collapsed – a claim GST has called “unfounded and false”.

In their filed objection on behalf of an official unsecured creditors committee (UCC), state lawyers mentioned: “On June 4, 2025, just after the completion of the Philadelphia event, and approximately one week before announcing the cancellation of its Los Angeles event, Mr Johnson initiated a payment of $500,000 purportedly on account of an unsecured note.

“There are no board minutes which reflect authorisation of this insider avoidable transfer. Shockingly, Mr Johnson elected to secretly prefer himself over the athletes and other, non-insider creditors, while at the same time feigning to the public that he was selflessly looking to advance the interests of the athletes.”

A spokesperson for GST mentioned Johnson put $2.25m (£1.8m) into the business on 23 May 2025 – a week before the event in Philadelphia.

In a statement, GST mentioned: “Mr Johnson advanced millions of dollars for GST’s operating expenses, including athlete travel, accommodation and costs, only a portion which was repaid through the reimbursement.

“It is unfortunate that the UCC chose to ignore facts and is instead attempting to discredit the company and Mr Johnson through false statements.”

Grand Slam Track risks ‘dangerous precedent’ over debts

‘I really want my money’ – Neita

Neita says she is still owed half of her prize money from GST.

“Even one penny being owned is a significant amount,” she mentioned. “It’s kind of crazy. I sometimes think, ‘I really want my money’. An athlete deserves what they’re promised.

“But you know, unfortunately, the league itself and Michael Johnson, ran into trouble. I don’t know the full ins and outs of exactly what happened, but I would like to believe that it wasn’t with ill intent, and it was a league that was started up with the best interest of the athletes.

“I wouldn’t want it to be like, ‘Michael Johnson was a bad man.’ I don’t even think that’s what it is. He’s one of the most respected athletes in the world, especially in our sport.

“It’s not looking likely that the athletes will be paid. I’m someone that got injured in the league. That affected my season… not putting the blame on anyone. But if it’s physically not there, what can we do?”

What is the future for Grand Slam Track?

Johnson has previously mentioned there would be no GST events in 2026 unless athletes have received their prize money for its first year.

The American mentioned he would “refuse to give up on the mission of Grand Slam Track” after the competition mentioned it would move into a “court-supervised reorganisation”.

The committee of unsecured creditors is also fighting an attempt by Johnson and GST to pay athletes 85% of their money, but only pay certain vendors 1.5%. They include a British-owned broadcast production company (in partnership with an American broadcast company) owed more than $3m (£2.5m).

World Athletics has mentioned it would only consider licensing or supporting any future GST events once its’ debts from the 2025 season are paid.

In a statement, the governing body mentioned: “It is unconscionable that efforts would be made for Grand Slam Track to restart in 2026 without the settlement of outstanding financial obligations to athletes, vendors and service providers.”

The BBC has contacted Johnson for a response.

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