BBC Sport pundit Michael Johnson has been accused of paying himself $500,000 (£372,000) days before his Grand Slam Track project collapsed, leaving athletes and creditors owed millions. The four-time Olympic sprint champion launched the league in 2024, promising $12.6m (£10m) in prize money, but the final event was cancelled in June due to insufficient funds, and organisers later filed for bankruptcy in the USA.
British track stars Josh Kerr and Matt Hudson-Smith are among those owed six-figure debts. Johnson, who has been part of the BBC's athletics punditry team since 2001, was dropped from coverage of last year's World Athletics Championships as the financial crisis unfolded.
Court filings in the United States allege that Johnson recouped half a million dollars of his investment just days before the collapse, despite knowing the project was doomed. Lawyers for a group of unpaid vendors described the payment as a 'secret' preference over other creditors, while Johnson publicly feigned selflessness.
A spokesperson for Grand Slam Track dismissed the claims as 'unfounded and false', stating that Johnson advanced millions for operating expenses and was only partially reimbursed. Johnson previously expressed regret, saying: 'It is incredibly difficult to live with the reality that you've built something bigger than yourself while simultaneously feeling like you've let down the very people you set out to help.'
