Brands v country – Kerr ramps up kit battle after latest victory
Brands v country – Kerr ramps up kit battle after latest victory. "There is one last thing that I think we can get right, which is allowing the athletes to represent their own brands versus their country," Kerr said.
What happened
With the next edition of the Ultimate Championship set to take place in September 2028, shortly after the Olympics in Los Angeles, the battle between brands and country could continue to heat up. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Josh Kerr deliberately covered up the Nike logo on his Great Britain kit by putting his custom-designed Brooks running spikes over his shoulder after winning the 1500m at the Ultimate ChampionshipByDaniel AustinBBC Sport senior journalistPublished14 September 2026After Josh Kerr became Great Britain's first ever Ultimate Champion with a dominant victory in the 1500m in Budapest on Sunday evening, he celebrated in customary fashion – Union Jack draped around him, beaming smile, arms raised before the cheering crowd.
At those events, Kerr is directly representing his country – there are national medal tables in which the triumphs achieved by compatriots are tallied up together. Josh Kerr celebrated becoming Great Britain's first Ultimate Champion by making a clear point about funding in athletics – BBC Sport explains what the issue is. But he also did something less traditional, ramping up a battle over funding at the top of athletics in the process. After praising the inaugural running of the Ultimate Championship, a new biennial event run by World Athletics with a focus on big names, Kerr explained the meaning behind the move in his interview with BBC Sport.
"I love my country and competing for them, but we don't make any money from that sadly.
The wider picture
Published1 day agoThis is what women in sport look like – HuntPublished22 hours agoDifferent rules for different competitionsEdinburgh native Kerr has won medals representing Great Britain at both the Olympics – picking up bronze in 2020 and silver in 2024 – and World Championships, having taken gold in 2023. There is no country medal table, and the new event is billed as a season finale for individual athletes after the conclusion of the Diamond League campaign. Kerr, and the other athletes who were crowned Ultimate Champions during the three-day competition in Hungary, earned $150,000 (£111,111) for winning.
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, When Josh Kerr set a new world record in the men's mile at the Diamond League meeting in London in July, he was wearing an individual kit featuring his personal sponsorsHow athlete funding works and why kit dispute is relevantFigure caption, 'Superb' Kerr storms to 1500m winWhereas players in sports like football earn a salary based on a contract with the team that employs them, and athletes in individual sports like tennis and golf can earn a great deal from prize money at major tournaments, athletics competitors rely much more heavily on personal sponsorships and endorsements.
But Kerr's comments have highlighted the fact that something which may well improve the viewing experience can be felt as a direct financial negative by the athletes themselves. Werro prevails over rivals in close 800m battleThis content is not available in your location. There was an errorAudrey Werro beats Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Broeders-Bol of the Netherlands in a commanding women's 800m final victory, becoming the Ultimate Champion after charging clear at the final stretch.
The 28-year-old made a clear point of obscuring the Nike sponsor's logo on his Great Britain kit by tying his Brooks-branded running spikes over his shoulder, meaning that the video footage and photographs of his trophy lift highlighted his own personal sponsor rather than his nation's.
What has been reported
We don't have the pay cheques that other sports do yet. "BBC Sport has contacted World Athletics for comment. But at the Ultimate Championship a much smaller field of athletes are competing for individual titles in their respective events. In the Diamond League, athletes are free to show off their own sponsors who provide them with funding by wearing their own kits. But his pointed comments made plain the position athletes find themselves in. That is because they are paid no direct annual salary, and the only standardised prize money on offer is $50,000 (£37,000) for winning gold in one of the 48 track and field events at the Olympics.
That prize money was only introduced at the 2024 Games in Paris, and is paltry compared to the potential millions in winnings on offer in other major sports. Some nations – including the USA – also choose to pay athletes who win medals from their own resources, but Britain does not.
What happens next
Instead, athletes are awarded funding and grants by UK Sport, with the majority of the money coming from the National Lottery. UK Sport ranks athletes by how likely they are to win medals at major events, and gives more funding to those whose chances it believes are better. Athletes typically use that funding to pay for training camps, equipment, travel and, in some cases, personal support staff like physiotherapists, nutritionists and chefs. So why would athletes be instructed to wear national team kit at the Ultimates?
The Ultimate Championship is billed as three fast-paced evenings with a record $10m (£7. 4m) prize pot on offer for the biggest stars in athletics. The condensed schedule and focus on star names is designed to appeal to viewers on television and social media – the latter likely playing a role in the focus on short, sharp bursts of action which can capture attention online.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.