ATHLETICS

ATHLETICS
is a group of sporting events that involves
competitive running, jumping, throwing,
and walking. the most common types of athletics
competitions are track and field, road running, cross-
country running, and racewalking.
 ATHLETICS
Organized athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from
776 BC. The rules and format of the modern events in athletics were defined
in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century,
and were then spread to other parts of the world. Most modern top level
meetings are held under the auspices of World Athletics, the global
governing body for the sport of athletics, or its member continental and
national federations.
 ATHLETICS
The word athletics is derived from the Ancient Greek
ἀθλητής (athlētēs, "combatant in public games")
from ἆθλον (athlon, "prize") or ἆθλος (athlos, "competition").
 HISTORY OF ATHLETICS
ANCIENT
Athletics events were depicted in the Ancient Egyptian tombs in Saqqara, with
illustrations of running at the Heb Sed festival and high jumping appearing in tombs
from as early as of 2250 BC. The Tailteann Games were an ancient Celtic festival
in Ireland, founded 1800 BC, and the thirty-day meeting included running and stone-
throwing among its sporting events. The original and only event at the first
Olympics in 776 BC was a stadium-length running event known as the stadion. This
later expanded to include throwing and jumping events within the ancient pentathlon.
Athletics competitions also took place at other Panhellenic Games, which were
founded later around 500 BC.
 HISTORY OF ATHLETICS
MODERN ERA
The Cotswold Olympic Games, a sports festival which emerged in 17th
century England, featured athletics in the form of sledgehammer throwing
contests. Annually, from 1796 to 1798, L'Olympiade de la République was held
in revolutionary France, and is an early forerunner to the modern Olympic
Games. The premier event of this competition was a running event, but various
ancient Greek disciplines were also on display. The 1796 Olympiade marked
the introduction of the metric system into the sport.
 HISTORY OF ATHLETICS
MODERN ERA
The Cotswold Olympic Games, a sports festival which emerged in 17th
century England, featured athletics in the form of sledgehammer throwing
contests. Annually, from 1796 to 1798, L'Olympiade de la République was held
in revolutionary France, and is an early forerunner to the modern Olympic
Games. The premier event of this competition was a running event, but various
ancient Greek disciplines were also on display. The 1796 Olympiade marked
the introduction of the metric system into the sport.
EVENTS
 TRACK AND FIELD
Track and field competitions emerged in the late 19th century and were
typically contested between athletes who were representing rival educational
institutions, military organisations and sports clubs. Participating athletes may
compete in one or more events, according to their specialities. Men and
women compete separately. Track and field comes in both indoor and outdoor
formats, with most indoor competitions occurring in winter, while outdoor
events are mostly held in summer. The sport is defined by the venue in which
the competitions are held – the athletics stadium.
 TRACK AND FIELD
Track and field competitions emerged in the late 19th century and were
typically contested between athletes who were representing rival educational
institutions, military organisations and sports clubs. Participating athletes may
compete in one or more events, according to their specialities. Men and
women compete separately. Track and field comes in both indoor and outdoor
formats, with most indoor competitions occurring in winter, while outdoor
events are mostly held in summer. The sport is defined by the venue in which
the competitions are held – the athletics stadium.
 ROAD RUNNING
Road running competitions are running events (predominantly long distance) which are
mainly conducted on courses of paved or tarmac roads, although major events often
finish on the track of a main stadium. In addition to being a common recreational sport,
the elite level of the sport – particularly marathon races – are one of the most popular
aspects of athletics. Road racing events can be of virtually any distance, but the most
common and well known are the marathon, half marathon, 10 km and 5 km. The
marathon is the only road running event featured at the IAAF World Championships in
Athletics and the Summer Olympics, although there is also an annual IAAF World Half
Marathon Championships. The marathon is also the only road running event featured at
the World Para Athletics Championships and the Summer Paralympics. The World
Marathon Majors series includes the six most prestigious marathon competitions at the
elite level – the Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City and Tokyo Marathons.
 CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING
Cross country running is the most naturalistic of the sports in
athletics as competitions take place on open-air courses over
surfaces such as grass, woodland trails, and earth. It is both an
individual and team sport, as runners are judged on an individual
basis and a points scoring method is used for teams. Competitions
are typically long distance races of 3 km (1.9 mi) or more which are
usually held in autumn and winter. Cross country's most successful
athletes often compete in long-distance track and road events as
well.
 RACE WALKING
Racewalking is a form of competitive walking that usually
takes place on open-air roads, although running tracks are
also occasionally used. Racewalking is the only sport in
athletics in which judges monitor athletes on their technique.
Racewalkers must always have a foot in contact with the
ground and their advancing leg must be straightened, not
bent at the knee – failure to follow these rules results in
disqualification from the race.
 ATHELETES WITH DISABILITIES
Athletes with physical disabilities have competed at separate international events since 1952. The
International Paralympic Committee governs the competitions in athletics, and hosts the Paralympic Games,
which have continued since 1960.
Competitors at elite level competitions, are classified by disability, to arrange athletes with a similar disability
in the same event. A classified T12 athlete for example, is a track athlete with a visual impairment. [52]
F = Field athletes
T = Track athletes
11–13 – visual impairmen. Compete with a sighted guide.
20 – Intellectual disability
31–38 – cerebral palsy
40–46 – amputation, and others (including athletes with dwarfism)
51–58 – Wheelchair
Operating independently of the Paralympic movement, deaf athletes have a long-established tradition of
organised athletics, with the first major world competition being included at the 1924 Deaflympics. The
primary impediments to the inclusion of deaf athletes in mainstream athletics are sound based elements of
the sport, such as the starter's pistol. This can be a disadvantage even in Paralympic sport, as shown in by the
example of Olivia Breen who failed to hear a false start in a cerebral palsy class race at the 2012 Paralympics.
 ORGANIZATIONS
In 1912, the formation of the international governing body for athletics, the
International Amateur Athletics Federation, began. In recognition of the movement
of the sport from amateurism towards professionalism that began in the late 1970s,
the word amateur was dropped from the name, and the organization was rebranded
as the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001. In late 2019,
another rebranding began, with World Athletics as the new title of the governing
body.
World Athletics has 215 member nations and territories, which are divided into six
continental areas (or area associations). The six association areas are for Asia, Africa,
Europe, Oceania, North and Central America and Caribbean and South America. The
sports within athletics do not have their own independent governing bodies at either
international or continental level; instead, all fall under the athletics authorities.
ORGANIZATIONS
Long Jump
Shot Put