Athletes who competed in Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track (GST) series say they have still not received prize money and salaries they are owed, despite Johnson stating publicly that he had "got the athletes paid". The discrepancy matters because it raises questions about the transparency of GST's collapse, which saw its final Los Angeles event cancelled and the organisation file for bankruptcy in the US in December after investors withdrew funding, leaving athletes, agents and management companies uncertain about when, or whether, they will be compensated.

Johnson also used the row to address separate claims that he had "secretly" paid himself $500,000 (£375,000) shortly before the season collapsed, insisting the sum was reimbursement for flights and hotels he had personally put on his own credit card during GST's cash-flow crisis. Around $11m (£8.1m) is reportedly owed to creditors, including athletes, and is said to be held by a third-party firm that has not responded to BBC Sport's approach. High-profile athletes owed more than £100,000 include Britain's Josh Kerr and Matthew Hudson-Smith, and Johnson's own representatives have now conceded the money has not yet reached athletes, despite his earlier assurances.