Athlos, the women’s track and field meet spearheaded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is expanding to London this fall, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.

Now entering its third year, Athlos is among a new vanguard of professional track and field events aimed at modernizing the sport for the streaming era and growing its audience in non-Olympic years. Athlos, held for the past two years at Icahn Stadium in New York City, is unique among them for featuring only women’s events.

Athlos earlier this week announced it will be returning to Icahn on Oct. 2 for one of two 2026 meets and teased that the competition is “going global.” Sportico has since learned that the international meet will take place on Sept. 18 at StoneX Stadium in North London.

Ohanian didn’t have an immediate comment.

Athlos debuted in 2024 on the heels of the Paris Olympics, staging races featuring gold medalist sprinters Gabby Thomas and Masai Russell; rapper Megan Thee Stallion hosted a post-event concert.

Ohanian in recent years has invested in various women’s sports, including NWSL’s Angel City FC, Chelsea FC Women and League One Volleyball Los Angeles. On Tuesday, he appeared on SportsCenter to share news of expanded prize money for the two-city Athlos meet this year, including a purse of $2.1 million and equity for participating athletes.

The forthcoming London meet will take place after two other high-profile pro track and field meets in Europe. World Athletics, the sport’s international governing body, is debuting a new competition from Sept. 11-13 in Budapest it is calling the “Ultimate Championship,” featuring reigning winners from the Olympics, World Championships and the Diamond League, the sport’s traditional circuit of professional meets. This year’s Diamond League series concludes Sept. 5 in Brussels.

Athlos and Grand Slam Track, another newcomer athletics series, debuted in the wake of the Paris Olympics with the goal of hosting more elite track and field meets in the U.S., which has had a paucity of high-level competition compared to Europe.

Grand Slam Track, founded by retired Olympic champion sprinter and television analyst Michael Johnson, has been hobbled by ongoing bankruptcy proceedings after losing funding during its kickoff season in 2025.

Democratic-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City is being slammed by Jewish groups for his decision to miss the city’s historic Israel Day Parade. His decision comes as the Big Apple wrestles with record levels of antisemitism.

Home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, Jewish New Yorkers have long viewed the annual parade as one of the city’s clearest public displays of solidarity with both the Jewish state and the community. On Tuesday, two of the city’s most prominent Jewish organizations declined an invitation to a Jewish heritage event held at Gracie Mansion in response to Mamdani’s latest snub.

“Since the very first Israel Parade in 1964, every single sitting Mayor of New York City has joined in the festive celebrations. New York has historically been proud of its deep relationship with Israel. Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City,” Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism under Mayor Eric Adams, told Fox News Digital.

NYC ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS NEARLY TRIPLE DESPITE OTHER CRIMES REACHING RECORD LOWS

Earlier this month, Mamdani officially confirmed that he would not attend the event, despite soaring antisemitism in New York City and weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations outside synagogues and Jewish communal institutions across the city. Parade, organizers say the event on May 31 is expected to draw record turnout in response to Mamdani’s snub.

While the mayor had previously indicated during an October 2025 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would likely not attend as a matter of political principle, his renewed public confirmation has led to growing criticism.

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office regarding the criticism from Jewish leaders over not attending the parade and were referred by his spokesman to a statement he had given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

ERIC ADAMS WARNS NYC ‘NOT FINE’ AFTER MAMDANI’S WIN, SAYS IF HE WAS JEWISH HE’D BE WORRIED FOR HIS CHILDREN

“I look forward to joining and hosting many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city. While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety. I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere. That principle guides me consistently.”

Community leaders say the decision breaks with decades of bipartisan tradition in a city where participation in the parade has long been viewed as both symbolic and expected.

Despite the mayor declining the invitation, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that she will participate in the parade.

Organizers say this year’s event is expected to feature more marching groups than ever before, driven not only by support for Israel but also by concern over rising antisemitism.

One person associated with the parade told Fox News Digital the event is expected to be “safer at the parade than in your own home,” citing extensive security coordination surrounding this year’s march.

Still, much of the conversation surrounding the parade has centered on Mamdani’s absence.

SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani suggested he would likely “miss a lot” of New York City’s traditional parades due to his political views, while evaluating appearances “case-by-case.”

Critics argue the Israel Day Parade is not simply another political event, but a long-standing civic tradition closely tied to New York City’s Jewish identity and history.

“The Israel Day Parade is a testament to one of New York City’s most important relationships. From healthcare to technology to innovation, Israel and New York City are partners in building a better future. I want every New Yorker to join the Parade on Fifth Avenue because celebrating this bond isn’t just for the Jewish community, it’s for our entire city,” former Mayor Eric Adams told Fox News Digital.

The controversy surrounding Mamdani has also widened beyond the parade itself, with the UJA Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York declining to attend his first Jewish Heritage event for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot at Gracie Mansion, stating they would not participate in an event hosted by a mayor who “denies the core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.”

At the event, Mamdani acknowledged the scale of antisemitism facing the city’s Jewish population, stating, “Jewish New Yorkers, accounting for just nearly 12% of our city’s population, are also the targets of more than 50% of all hate crimes.”

He also announced a proposed $26 million annual investment toward expanding hate crime prevention efforts under the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Details of the proposal were not clear regarding how he would tackle antisemitism at time of publication.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Trump’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told Fox News Digital when asked about Mamdani’s position, “It is important we recognize the need for leaders to uphold their responsibility to protect religious freedom and refrain from making incendiary comments that contribute to the rise of antisemitism. Leaders who fail to do so bear responsibility for the increase in antisemitic activity.”

This year’s parade is also expected to feature expanded interfaith participation. In a first for the event’s 61-year history, some Muslim groups are slated to march alongside Jewish organizations, in addition to expanded participation from Asian American groups and others.

Published on
20/05/2026 – 18:55 GMT+2

A former British pirate radio station apologised on Wednesday “for any distress caused” after accidentally announcing the death of King Charles III.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at its main studio in Maldon in eastern Essex, Radio Caroline said in a post on social media.

The error had triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure “which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require,” wrote station manager Peter Moore.

“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology,” he said on Facebook post.

“Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen’s and now the King’s, Christmas message and we hope to do so for many years to come,” he said, referring to the monarch’s traditional Christmas Day message to the nation.

“We apologise to HM (his majesty) the king and to our listeners for any distress caused,” Moore added.

The mishap on Tuesday came as Charles and Queen Camilla were in Northern Ireland, where they joined a performance with an Irish folk group.

The post did not say how long it was before the mistake was discovered but the domestic Press Association news agency reported that on Wednesday afternoon, playback for Tuesday’s broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm was unavailable on the station’s website.

Established in 1964 to challenge the BBC’s broadcasting monopoly, Radio Caroline previously operated from ships off the English coast.

After legislation in 1967 forced many pirate broadcasters to close, it continued intermittently before ending offshore broadcasts in 1990.

Caroline and other similar pirate stations inspired the 2009 comedy film “The Boat that Rocked” starring Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman about a group of eccentric DJs living and working together at sea.

Additional sources • AFP