
Competitions in the English public schools were conceived as human equivalents of horse racing, fox hunting and hare coursing, influenced by a Classics-rich curriculum.

These were typically organised by educational institutions, military organisations and sports clubs as competitions between rival establishments.

One of the last track and field events to develop was the pole vault, which stemmed from competitions such as the Fierljeppen contests in the Northern European Lowlands in the 18th century.Īn early model of hurdling at the Detroit Athletic Club in 1888ĭiscrete modern track and field competitions, separate from general sporting festivals, were first recorded in the 19th century. The stone put and weight throw competitions popular among Celtic societies in Ireland and Scotland were precursors to the modern shot put and hammer throw events. After the period of Classical antiquity (in which the sport was largely Greco-Roman influenced) new track and field events began developing in parts of Northern Europe in the Middle Ages. Track and field events were also present at the Panhellenic Games in Greece around this period, and they spread to Rome in Italy around 200 BC. The scope of the Games expanded in later years to include further running competitions, but the introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step towards track and field as it is recognized today-it comprised a five-event competition of the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion footrace, and wrestling. At the first Games in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, only one event was contested: the stadion footrace. The first recorded examples of organized track and field events at a sports festival are the Ancient Olympic Games. Track and field style events are among the oldest of all sporting competitions, as running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression. The sport of track and field has its roots in human prehistory. Ī Greek vase from 500 BC depicting a running contest In the United States, the term track and field may refer to other athletics events, such as cross country, the marathon, and road running, rather than strictly track-based events. However, if athletes are deemed to have violated the event's rules or regulations, they are disqualified from the competition and their marks are erased. Records are kept of the best performances in specific events, at world, continental, and national levels, right down to a personal level. World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF), is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. In modern times, the two most prestigious international track and field competitions are the athletics competition at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships. In ancient times, it was an event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Track and field is one of the oldest sports. If a race has too many people to run all at once, preliminary heats will be run to narrow down the field of participants. Recently, “mixed” relay events have been introduced into meets, whereby two men and two women make up the four-person team. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the men's and women's competitions are usually held at the same venue. Most track and field events are individual sports with a single victor the most prominent team events are relay races, which typically feature teams of four. In these, athletes participate in a combination of track and field events.

There are also "combined events" or "multi events", such as the pentathlon consisting of five events, heptathlon consisting of seven events, and decathlon consisting of ten events. Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault, while the most common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus, and hammer. The jumping and throwing events are won by those who achieve the greatest distance or height. The foot racing events, which include sprints, middle- and long-distance events, racewalking, and hurdling, are won by the athlete who completes it in the least time. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running and racewalking. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills.
