One of the BBC’s most popular track and field pundits has reportedly been informed he won’t feature on the broadcaster’s programming in 2026
Sprint legend Michael Johnson will be absent from the BBC’s athletics coverage in 2026. This follows the collapse of the American’s Grand Slam Track (GST) competition in December, which left both athletes and investors significantly out of pocket.
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Johnson launched his track and field league ahead of the 2025 season. The venture aimed to unite the sport’s biggest names more regularly, promising substantial prize money in innovative formats designed to propel athletics into a new era.
However, those ambitions crumbled when Johnson’s brainchild filed for voluntary bankruptcy at the back end of 2025. Grand Slam Track has indicated it still intends to host events in 2026, once its financial troubles have been sorted.
Meanwhile, BBC Sport has confirmed the broadcaster has suspended its working relationship. The report cites sources suggesting there are no plans for Johnson to feature on BBC programming in 2026.
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The eight-time world champion began working for the BBC in 2001 shortly after hanging up his spikes. He’s become a firm favourite among British audiences over more than two decades with the broadcaster but hasn’t graced BBC screens since the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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According to a review published by the Association of Athletics Managers in January 2026, GST had debts of more than £22.5million at the time. Scotland’s Josh Kerr, who won Olympic silver in the 1,500 metres at Paris 2024, is understood to be owed £123,000, according to documents filed with a bankruptcy court for the US district of Delaware.
“Of course I’m frustrated,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m owed a lot of money, so in any business anyone’s going to be frustrated. I don’t particularly know right now where to push those frustrations and where they should sit.”
However, he declined to place blame solely on Johnson, adding: “I’ve had conversations with Michael, I’ve had information given to me by my agents on this stuff. I don’t think these are bad people. I think this is a horrible situation.”
In an unselfish move, Kerr instead directed his concerns towards those in less secure positions. And his words acknowledge the precarious nature affecting those less prominent athletes who are depending more heavily on prize money and sponsorships for their livelihoods.
“I’m not super worried about myself,” he added. “I’m worried about some of the other athletes, and they had their stories exposed of working jobs and not being sponsored, and then they had this life-changing money. That’s what I care about.”
Amid the uncertainty over GST’s financial situation, Johnson was recently accused of receiving a £375,000 payment from the company prior to its final event. This was supposedly at a point when he allegedly knew athletes wouldn’t be paid.
Nevertheless, GST has denied the claims and emphasised Johnson continued to pump millions of his own funds into keeping the venture afloat.
Alongside Kerr, former European 400-metre champion Matthew Hudson-Smith is reported to be owed £107,500 for his involvement in GST’s first season. Additionally, Olympic silver medallist relay sprinter Daryll Neita is understood to be owed £21,000, while former 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith is yet to receive £17,850 in prize money.