Alexis Ohanian saw something in Sha’Carri Richardson long before ATHLOS made its way to London. Back in May 2025, the ATHLOS founder named Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Tara Davis-Woodhall as founding advisor-owners of the women’s track and field venture. The move surely showed Ohanian’s larger idea that the athletes at the heart of the sport should also have a say in the business being built around them. Now, more than a year later, that vision is moving another step forward.

As ATHLOS prepares for its September 18 London debut, Ohanian is taking the project beyond the track. On September 17, he shared photos on X that included Richardson. Also, the official ATHLOS Instagram account shared further photos featuring Ohanian, Richardson, Thomas and Kayla Green, ATHLOS’ acting president and founding chief marketing officer.

Interestingly, the group was pictured outside 10 Downing Street as these ATHLOS representatives headed there for discussions about the future of women’s sport and the role London could play in the league’s plans. For Ohanian, though, this is not simply about putting on another track meet.

When he first entered women’s sport, his focus was on finding ways to give female athletes greater attention and create more commercial opportunities around them. His investment in Angel City FC became an early example of that approach. ATHLOS became his next major bet, with the aim of keeping women’s track and field in front of fans even when the Olympics are not taking place.

That matters because track and field gets huge attention during the Olympics, but much of that spotlight fades once the Games are over. But Ohanian believes the sport has the potential to become far more popular, particularly with the growth of running culture and the approach of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

“You can’t go anywhere without seeing joggers, runners and run clubs,” Ohanian told The Guardian. “London is a hotbed for it; the US, too. It is such an accessible sport. So why can’t it be a hundred times more popular? Or even a thousand times more popular?”

That belief helps explain why Ohanian is looking beyond one event in one city. ATHLOS has already moved beyond the format Richardson originally joined. The 2026 season brings the competition to London for the first time, with Richardson, Thomas, Keely Hodgkinson and other leading names set to compete. The London meeting also carries a $1 million prize fund, adding another major attraction to the event. But the competition itself is only part of what Ohanian is trying to build.

ATHLOS bets on athlete equity

ATHLOS is not just giving away cash to athletes who come and play. ATHLOS is not just giving away cash to athletes who come and play. Its 2026 model also provides an equity in the league for eligible athletes, which means they’ll get a stake in the long-term value of what they’re building. Ohanian explained the thinking to Reuters in May, saying, “The cash compensates their participation and success, and the equity recognises what we’re building together.” 

The expansion, however, has already faced a change in plans.The 2026 calendar, which was initially announced for a two-city program with the London meeting set for September 18 and a New York meeting in October.However, on August 28, the organization cancelled the October 2 meeting in NY.The reaosn was timing – the New York date was late in the season, and would make it challenging for the athletes to continue campaigns after the bigger competitions of the year.

For Ohanian, though, the setback does not appear to have changed the larger ambition. He has said he wants ATHLOS to eventually reach at least six races in major cities by 2036, with the long-term goal of turning women’s track and field into a more regular part of the sporting calendar. Rather than seeing the sport’s biggest audiences arrive only during the Olympics and major championships, he wants ATHLOS to give fans reasons to keep following its athletes throughout the year.