Grand Slam Track reveals Kingston as host city for inaugural event
Grand Slam Track (GST), the new track league launched by Olympic legend Michael Johnson, has revealed Kingston as the host city for its inaugural 2025 event.
The three-day Kingston Slam will be staged in the Jamaican capital between 4th and 6th June, taking place at the National Stadium at Independence Park.
Kingston becomes the second host city for GST following Los Angeles, with the series set to announce two more locations later this week.
COUNTING DOWN TO KINGSTON! 🇯🇲
— Grand Slam Track (@GrandSlamTrack) November 11, 2024
Grand Slam Track will be in Jamaica from April 4-6, 2025.
Be alerted when tickets drop: https://t.co/a9BSFlhASg pic.twitter.com/7K0mwKaLyp
Prior to its launch earlier this year, GST secured secured more than $30m in funding from investors and strategic partners to launch the league.
Aiming to drive commercial growth and fan engagement for the sport, GST pits some of the world’s leading athletes against each other in four Slam events throughout the year.
Of the 96 competitors, 48 ‘Racers’ will take part in all four meets, and will receive an annual salary for their participation. The remaining athletes, known as ‘GST Challengers’, will each be paid an appearance fee at individual Slams.
Some of the athlete currently signed to GST’s Racers include 400m hurdle champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, men’s 400m winner Quincy Hall, and 100m women’s hurdles champion Masai Russell, who each clinched gold during last summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“Jamaica has such a strong history in this sport,” said Michael Johnson, Founder and Commissioner at Grand Slam Track.
“The talent and the love for the sport here make it a perfect fit for what we’re building. It’s going to be an incredible event, and we’re proud to have Kingston as one of our four Slams in our inaugural season to kick this whole thing off.”
Garth Gayle, President of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), added, “We are proud and excited that Kingston has been selected to host the very first Grand Slam Track event.
“As the governing body for the sport, we see this as a testament to our past and present athletes, whose achievements and legacy have established Jamaica as the track capital of the world.
“This event also marks an important milestone for the development of our future athletes, who will benefit from the opportunity to see the world’s greatest track stars up close and personal.”
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