Alex Ohanian is redefining the women’s track and field scene. It all began last September, when New York City’s Icahn Stadium lit up with something fresh and bold, the tech entrepreneur’s latest venture, Athlos NYC, an all-women’s track and field spectacle. No one saw such a shake-up coming, but the Reddit co-founder smashed it out of the park. With Athlos already making waves, Ohanian’s X handle is now primed to drop yet another game-changing announcement.
In textbook, Athlos has a fierce rival in the form of Grand Slam Track, founded by Michael Johnson. However, despite launching their inaugural season last year ahead of Athlos, they are now facing the harsh reality of being unable to pay the athletes who competed in the event. With a $30 million liability hanging over Johnson’s head, GST appears to be on the decline, while Athlos is making sure to ride the wave and fill the gap.
Alexis Ohanian is planning something big for his new venture. After announcing Athlos NYC 2025, he’s set to drop another banger. His social media handle has all the clues. Taking to his X account, Ohanian uploaded a cryptic photo with a caption that read, “More ATHLOS news coming.” Ohanian has a knack for hitting just the right spot to spark curiosity, keeping fans hooked and hungry for more — and he’s doing it masterfully.
So, what’s the catch? We don’t know yet—but here’s what we do know. Athlos will return to New York City’s Icahn Stadium on October 10, 2025, for a one-night, women-only showdown: Six electrifying track events and one gravity-defying field contest, the long jump. In addition to that, Ohanian has laid out his 2026 plans as well with a team-based, multi-city league, with fierce meets across the map, all building to an epic championship finale.
More ATHLOS news coming pic.twitter.com/EaW6tWyzqz
— Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) August 14, 2025
Ohanian believes that women in track and field have far greater storytelling potential than their male counterparts, and he’s heavily bullish on this. With Tara Davis-Woodhall and Gabby Thomas leading from the forefront under his banner, Ohanian is betting big on making the sport more recognizable on the global stage. But will he succeed? Well, his upcoming plans might just help him.
Alexis Ohanian sets out a challenge for Michael Johnson as he lays out Athlos’ plans
With Michael Johnson’s GST out of the equation for now, Ohanian has the market to himself, and he is clearly on a mission to fill the gap before anyone else gets ahead of him. I
n a conversation with CNBC, the Reddit founder was asked about his plans for Athlos and the kind of future he envisions for it. He responded, “So we’re modeling this inspired a lot by NCAA track and field, so there’s a point system. Imagine your favorite runners in the world—Sha’Carri Richardson could now finally be competing on a team with Tara Davis-Woodhall. One is a sprinter, the other one’s a long jumper.”
He further added, “But by having a team-based track and field meet, you’re going to have all those events in probably three cities next year. I won’t commit to how many. New York is our home base, and we’re obviously going to take care of New York City again next year. So imagine a few different locations, Friday nights under the lights, and having this team-based model so that your athletes are not just competing for themselves—they’re also competing for a big team prize at the end. Just the same way you might root for Lewis Hamilton but, at the same time, want to see Ferrari win the cup, we’ll have the same concept.”
To put it simply, Athlos will likely host team-based track and field events in a few cities, starting with New York. The atmosphere would be similar to cheering for Formula 1 drivers. Ohanian firmly believes that he can pull something like F1, and he has all the necessary star power behind him, but will he be able to succeed? The question is yet to be answered.
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