Budapest will host the first edition of the Ultimate Championship from September 11 to 13, a new competition aimed at showcasing athletics in a fresh, modern, and more appealing way. Unlike traditional track and field events, the competition will feature only sixteen carefully selected disciplines, focusing on elite athletes including world champions, Olympic champions, and top performers from the Diamond League. World Athletics, the global governing body of the sport, promises a mix of spectacle, innovation, and high-level competition. Among the athletes participating are notable names like American sprinter Noah Lyles, Olympic champion Julien Alfred, high jump star Gianmarco Tamberi, and double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Also competing will be Grant Holloway, Faith Kipyegon, Marileidy Paulino, Femke Bol, Gabrielle Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Armand Duplantis. Duplantis, the world record holder in pole vault, is a major ambassador for the event and composed its anthem, Gold, which he will perform live during the closing ceremony on Sunday. Athletes will share a total prize pool of 10 million dollars, a significant sum for a competition of this scale. The event excludes several traditional disciplines, such as the 3,000 meters steeplechase, shot put, and discus throw. The hammer event will only be contested by men, and the triple jump will only be for women. There will be two mixed relays, the 4x100 and 4x400 meters, and the disciplines have been chosen to maximize visual appeal and avoid the crowded format of larger championships. The Ultimate Championship is not intended to replace existing world championships but to offer a different experience. It will take place over three days, with fewer athletes and fewer events, but with a strong focus on balance between men and women and a significant prize pool. The competition will use a draft system similar to that in American sports to determine the order of athletes and their starting positions. There will be no equalizing measures in events like high jump or pole vault, and only one winner will be declared, determined by a tie-break jump if necessary. The competition emphasizes victory over participation, with no medals awarded. Instead, winners will receive a star-shaped trophy, reflecting the idea that one athlete should stand out as the best. World Athletics aims to provide an unprecedented experience for television audiences, using augmented reality, new data indicators, and sensors on equipment like javelins to provide real-time performance analysis and enhance the viewing experience. The central part of the stadium will be black, creating a striking visual contrast, and for the first time, "center court" interviews will be broadcast from within the stadium. Major broadcasters, including L'Equipe in France, the BBC in the UK, NRK in Norway, NBC in the US, and TBS in Japan, will cover the event, helping to increase its global reach.