NEW YORK: Grand Slam Track cancelled its Los Angeles meet on Thursday as the organisers brought the debut season of the novel athletics circuit to an abrupt end after three events.

The Michael Johnsonfronted track series lured in top talent with supersized prize money but saw poor attendance at its kickoff meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, and later cut its third meet in Philadelphia from three to two days.

`The decision to conclude the inaugural Grand Slam Track season is not taken lightly, but one rooted in a belief that we have successfully achieved the objectives we set out to in this pilot season,` Johnson said. `As we`ve said all along, we were going to have learnings, make adjustments, and continue to improve.

Sometimes we have to make moves that aren`t comfortable, but what`s most important is the future and sustainability of the league.

`The global economic landscape has shifted dramatically in the past year, and this business decision has been made to ensure our long-term stability ...

The economics of the deal with Drake Stadium in Los Angeles was the motivating factor in cancelling what was intended to be the final meet of the year, sources told Reuters.

Organisers have offered full refunds to any fans who had bought tickets to the June 28-29 Los Angeles meeting and Johnson said the series would return in 2026. Grand Slam was announced ahead of the 2024 Paris Games amid mounting concerns over athlete pay, as World Athletics for the first time paid $50,000 to gold medal winners in a controversial move against Olympic tradition.

With a $12.6 million in total prize money across what was set to be four meets, Johnson`s start-up caught the attention of track`s established circuits, as the standard-bearer Diamond League added more to its prize pot.-Reuters