Alexis Ohanian is not thinking small. The co-founder of Reddit and one of the driving forces behind Athlos has a clear vision : build something that reshapes women’s athletics from the ground up. London is the next step in that plan, with the all-female track meet set to make its debut in the British capital in September 2026.
Athlos London : what the all-female track meet brings to the city
Athlos first made waves at Icahn Stadium in New York, where the 2025 edition packed the stands with a crowd that came for elite sprinting and stayed for the spectacle. Live music filled the arena. Tiffany & Co crowns, presented by Serena Williams herself, replaced the usual medals on the podium. Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson was among the winners, competing against some of the fastest women on the planet in an atmosphere that felt nothing like a traditional athletics meeting.
The London edition promises the same energy. Seven disciplines will be on the programme in both cities :
- 100m hurdles
- 100m
- 200m
- 400m
- 800m
- Mile
- Long jump
What makes the format genuinely different is the points-based scoring system. Athletes accumulate points across each event, and the combined total determines the overall winner of the meet — not just a single discipline title. It rewards versatility and consistency rather than one peak performance, which changes how athletes approach their preparation entirely.
London joining the circuit is significant beyond geography. It signals that Athlos is actively building toward something larger, using major cities as anchors for a structure that could eventually span the whole athletics season. The British capital, with its deep running culture and massive sports audience, is a logical second base for the competition.
Prize money that changes the conversation for women’s athletics
Talk is cheap in sport. Prize money is not. Athlos backs its ambitions with a financial structure that puts real earnings on the table for competing athletes.
| Category | Prize (USD) | Prize (GBP approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Per individual event win | Up to $65,000 | ~£48,500 |
| Overall meet champion bonus | $25,000 | ~£18,600 |
| Win both cities (max possible) | $155,000 | ~£115,000 |
An athlete who dominates across New York and London could walk away with $155,000 — roughly £115,000. That figure matters. Women’s track and field has historically struggled to generate the commercial revenues that justify serious prize funds. Athlos is directly challenging that reality, and the numbers reflect genuine intent rather than marketing gloss.
For many elite female athletes, this kind of earnings potential changes the calculation around which competitions to prioritise. Prize money at this level creates leverage — for athletes negotiating contracts, for coaches planning competitive calendars, and for the sport itself in terms of public profile. Every dollar announced is also a statement about the value of women’s athletics.
Ohanian has been direct about his motivations. “I don’t want to do anything small,” he said. “I want to do things that have big impacts, that are about legacy.” That is not the language of someone testing the market. He bought a 10% stake in Chelsea Women’s Super League last year — another signal that women’s elite sport is where he is placing serious capital, not just attention.
Building a global league : Ohanian’s long game with World Athletics
Adding London to the Athlos circuit is a step, not a destination. Ohanian’s stated goal is a worldwide, season-long league built around women’s athletics — an ambition that has no real precedent in the sport’s commercial history. Track and field has never successfully packaged itself into a sustained league format with the kind of brand equity and audience that, say, tennis or golf have managed.
Reaching that goal requires cooperation at the highest level. Ohanian has been in ongoing discussions with World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, describing them as “great partners” in the project. That relationship matters enormously. Without institutional alignment, a private league risks fragmentation — competing calendars, eligibility disputes, fixture clashes with major championships. Getting World Athletics on board early suggests the project is being built on solid foundations rather than forcing its way through.
The commercial challenge is real. Athletics historically has not generated the kind of sustained revenue that supports professional league structures. Ohanian acknowledges this openly : “We know we’re entering into something really ambitious. Ultimately we want to build a league around athletics, which historically has not had commercial success. This is a big moment for us.”
What Athlos brings that previous attempts lacked is a coherent identity — a format designed for entertainment as much as competition, prize money that attracts marquee names, and a founding vision that goes beyond one annual event. Keely Hodgkinson competing under Tiffany & Co crowns in front of a live music crowd is not an accident. It is a deliberate repositioning of what a women’s athletics event can look like and who it speaks to. London in September 2026 will be the next test of whether that positioning holds beyond New York.
