Troubles continue for Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track with $77,896 due in payments - Reports

It's been a couple of months since the Grand Slam Track league has come to an end. However, the troubles for the league envisioned by sprinting legend Michael Johnson are still ongoing, with Miami authorities reportedly demanding an outstanding fee of $77,896 in payments.

According to a report by Forbes, the authorities organizing the Grand Slam Track League owe $77,896 to the City of Miramar in the state of Florida. The state of Florida was the site for the second leg of the Grand Slam Track meet, which was held from May 2 to May 4.

The agreement between the organizers and the host, as signed on April 10, stated that one half of the payment would be paid a month before the event, i.e., April 2. The other half is to be paid a month after the Miami leg, i.e., June 2, as per reports. However, even after nearly 3 months, not a single penny has been paid to the Miramar authorities.

This is why the Miramar authorities have now reportedly devised a new payment plan for the events authorities, according to which one-third, i.e., $30000, should be paid by July 18; then $30000 should be paid by August 18; and the final installment of $17896 should be paid up by September 18.

The Grand Slam Track League was organized at three venues, viz., Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia, respectively. The final leg was to be held in Los Angeles from June 27 to June 29 but was canceled at the last minute.

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When Grand Slam Track athletes demanded their unpaid dues

Athletes demand unpaid dues from Grand-Slam Track authorities [Image Source : Getty]

The outstanding dues to Miami authorities over the rental facility are not the only problem that Grand Slam Track League organizers are dealing with. According to multiple reports, many athletes haven't been paid the prizes that they were promised by the organizers, especially Michael Johnson, the brains behind this track league.

The inaugural edition of Johnson's event had a huge prize pool of approximately $12.6 million, with each winning athlete getting at atleast a minimum of $100000. However, according to some athletes, they haven't been paid their dues for even the inaugural race held at Kingston in Jamaica. Even Gabby Thomas was compelled to comment on the TikTok account of the event for her unpaid dues.

"So dope!! Pls pay me," Thomas wrote, adding a tear-eyed emoji.

On the other hand, the authorities have claimed that the payments will be made soon. Grand Slam Track executive Kyle Merber shared an email that stated that the dues from the Kingston leg shall be paid up by July, and the remaining dues will be paid by September. The mail stated [via The Times]:

"We’d like to provide the following update regarding payments for the athletes who competed in Grand Slam Track events this year. Our plan is to make payments for Kingston prize money before the end of July and the remaining payments due by the end of September, which includes the honouring of Los Angeles appearance fees."

Michael Johnson is hopeful that the League will return for another season next year. He also stated in an interview that the organizers hope to learn from the mistakes made this season, including the unfortunate cancellation of the Los Angeles leg of the track league.