Sprint icon Michael Johnson will not form part of the BBC's athletics coverage this year. That's after the American's Grand Slam Track (GST) competition went bust in December and left both athletes and investors out of pocket.

Four-time Olympic gold medal-winner Johnson opened his track and field league ahead of the 2025 season. The enterprise hoped to bring together the biggest names in said disciplines on a more regular basis, promising major pay days in fresh formats in a bid to drive the sport into a new era. But those aspirations came crumbling down after Johnson's innovation filed for voluntary bankruptcy at the end of 2025. Grand Slam Track has said it still hopes to stage events in 2026, once its financial difficulties have been resolved.

In the meantime, however, BBC Sport confirmed the broadcaster has put its working relationship on hold. The report cites sources, who suggested there are no plans for Johnson to appear on BBC programming in 2026.

The eight-time world champion started working for the BBC in 2001 shortly after his retrirement from the track. He's become a favourite among British fans in more than two decades working for the broadcaster but hasn't appeared on BBC screens since the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A spokesperson for Johnson said: "Michael wishes to clarify that it was his decision not to continue with the BBC after the Paris 2024 Games. With his contract up for renewal after the Olympics, and Grand Slam Track launching soon after, he chose to focus fully on the project. The BBC understood his decision, and he remains grateful for their support and his longstanding relationship with the broadcaster."

According to a review published by the Association of Athletics Managers in January 2026, GST had debts of more than £22.5million at the time. Scotland's Josh Kerr, who won Olympic silver in the 1,500 metres at Paris 2024, is understood to be owed £123,000, according to documents filed with a bankruptcy court for the US district of Delaware.

"Of course I'm frustrated," he told BBC Sport. "I'm owed a lot of money, so in any business anyone's going to be frustrated. I don't particularly know right now where to push those frustrations and where they should sit."

However, he refused to pile blame purely on Johnson, adding: "I've had conversations with Michael, I've had information given to me by my agents on this stuff. I don't think these are bad people. I think this is a horrible situation."

In an unselfish turn, Kerr instead focused his energy on those in less secure positions. And his words nod to the precarious nature affecting those less prominent athletes who are relying more on prize money and sponsorships being paid on time.

"I'm not super worried about myself," he continued. "I'm worried about some of the other athletes, and they had their stories exposed of working jobs and not being sponsored, and then they had this life-changing money. That's what I care about."

Amid the confusion surrounding GST's finances, Johnson was recently accused of accepting a £375,000 payment from the company before its last event, at a time when he was purportedly aware athletes would go unpaid. However, GST has refuted the allegations and reiterated Johnson continued to inject millions of his own money to keep the enterprise running.

Along with Kerr, former European 400-metre champion Matthew Hudson-Smith is said to be owed £107,500 for his part in the first season of GST. Meanwhile, Olympic silver medallist relay sprinter Daryll Neita is believed to be owed £21,000, and ex-200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith is still to receive £17,850 in winnings.