Reddit co-founder Ohanian’s Athlos gets Sha’Carri and Thomas investment
Reddit co-founder Alixis Ohanian’s Athlos athletics events has gained investment from US Olympians Sha’Carri Richardson and Gabby Thomas.
The pair are joined by Tara Davis-Woodhall, with the trio set to be advisors and owners in the track and field competition.
Athlos was launched to keep US track and field stars in the news after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and took place in New York last autumn.
“We’re really at that stage of taking those steps to make sure that as we’re building this vision and the details around the vision, that we’re doing it with the athletes at the centre,” Athlos chief media officer Kayla Green said.
It comes after creator Ohanian, husband of US tennis star Serena Williams, invested £20m into Women’s Super League champions Chelsea in return for around 10 per cent of the club. The deal values the Blues at £200m, the most expensive women’s football valuation in history.
Athlos competition
Athletics has seen a boom in new competitions recently with Athlos joined by the likes of Grand Slam Track.
Michael Johnson’s brainchild series is holding four meets across Jamaica and the United States, with Thomas one of the star athletes.
Elsewhere World Athletics will launch the Ultimate Championship in 2026, which claims a prize pot of $10m. Winners will receive $150,000 versus $100,000 for Grand Slam Track.
Prize money and funding in track and field has long been a debated point, with Olympic medallists receiving a share of a centralised purse for the first time at last year’s Games in Paris.
“The sky is the limit,” Ohanian said of his Chelsea investment. “You heard our president say this club is unapologetically ambitious – I want to get that tattooed on me.
“That is what we’re trying to build here – the best team in the world and at the forefront of women’s sport.
“This will be a billion-dollar franchise one day. I hope my dollars, my pounds, can go towards that and especially back home in America. This is going to be America’s team.”