The visual identity and brand strategy for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship has been unveiled, just over a year before the inaugural edition takes place in Budapest.
The Ultimate Championship will bring together world champions, Olympic champions, Wanda Diamond League winners, and the year’s best-performing athletes under one roof. The first edition will take place from 11–13 September 2026.
World Athletics commissioned FutureBrand to bring its vision for this innovative event to life, developing the brand strategy, visual and verbal identity, and overall experience. To ensure the brand was grounded in audience insight, FutureBrand explored what drives people to engage with athletics, how those motivations are evolving, and how the event is uniquely positioned to meet them.
This process led to the creation of the brand idea ‘Class of One’ — a fresh emphasis on winning above all else and celebrating the moments that matter most to audiences.
The visual identity centres on a simple yet meaningful logo symbol: the ‘Star Flare’. Designed to be universally recognisable, the star reflects the awe, excellence and positivity of competition, while its explosive, radiating form conveys the energy, intensity and drama of athletes in pursuit of excellence. It is composed of three colliding elements, each representing one of the Ultimate Championship’s core athletics disciplines: running, jumping and throwing. Its contemporary 3D rendering and dynamic motion behaviours maximises its presence in digital channels, aligning with the progressive nature of the new competition, the media release stated.
The symbol enables a wide range of visual applications across a system of patterns, icons and graphics – each informed by its distinctive character. A monochromatic colour palette is complemented by vibrant gradient accents that mimic the iridescent surface of the hero symbol. Together, these elements create a visual identity that is distinctive, impactful and celebratory. A tone of voice was developed, to work hand in hand with the visual identity. The tone of voice is based on the personality traits ‘obsessive’, ‘audacious’ and ‘dramatic’ – it is designed to give the competition a stronger voice that amplifies love for the sport and makes it more accessible to new audiences, the release added.
World Athletics director of brand and marketing Maria Ramos said: “Our goal was to create a brand that not only energises athletes and fans alike, but also stands apart through its distinctive tone, ambition and vision. Collaborating with FutureBrand allowed us to tap into inspiration from both within athletics and far beyond it – bringing fresh perspective and depth to everything we built.”
