Athletics held its first Ultimate Championship in Budapest, a new biennial event created by World Athletics and president Lord Coe to give the sport a season-ending showcase and address inconsistent star match-ups during non-Olympic years. Three sell-out evenings and positive feedback from athletes and ambassadors, including Usain Bolt, suggest the format has succeeded in its aim and is likely to continue.

The event distributed a record $10m (£7.4m) prize pot, with Britain's Josh Kerr winning $150,000 as the country's first Ultimate champion. Distinctive touches included a black infield, a pink sandpit for jumps, red-carpet arrivals, on-screen win probabilities and centre-court style winner interviews designed to build athlete personalities and TV appeal, alongside performances such as Armand Duplantis's official championship song.