World Athletics has unveiled the trophies that will be awarded to champions at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, with the global event set to begin in 10 days in Budapest, Hungary.
The championship, scheduled for September 11–13, will introduce a new approach to athlete awards, with no medals to be presented. Instead, only the winners of each discipline will receive trophies as Ultimate Champions.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe explained that the decision reflects the championship’s central concept of identifying the best athlete in each discipline.
“We have made an intentional decision to move away from medals as the awards at the Ultimate Championship,” Coe said.
He added that the competition is designed around the pursuit of becoming the ultimate champion, making trophies for individual winners more appropriate than traditional awards for the top three finishers.
Meanwhile, every participating athlete will receive a personalised bracelet as a unique token commemorating their participation in the inaugural championship.
The adjustable bracelets will feature each athlete’s name on the exterior and the official event name on the interior, celebrating their status among the world’s elite track and field athletes.
The champions’ trophies have also been designed to connect with the participation bracelets, creating a single, inclusive piece.
Inspired by stone statues and the concept of “carving your name in history,” the trophies feature a shape that echoes the star logo of the Ultimate Championship, while gold inlay symbolises victory.
The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship will bring together the world’s leading athletes in Budapest from September 11 to 13.
