Athletic sports, popularly referred as track and field events, are sporting competitions that usually comprise of running, jumping and throwing. They are world-popular events owing to the ease of their organization and participation.
Running events, for example, only require a track or road, while the athletes just need to show up in shoes and shorts, which are not even mandatory. The huge number of possible athletics competitions also gives potential athletes a huge catalogue to choose from. Think 100-meter races, 400 meters, 1500 meters all the way to half and full marathons. There are also events like triple jumps, discus and javelin. People
can compete in walks too!
Athletic sports have been around for as long as civilization has existed. Competitions can be traced to as far back as 776 BC when the Ancient Olympics were held in Greece. The discipline has been part of the modern Olympics since the very first event in 1896. It was also a feature when the first Paralympics was held in 1960.
Each country has a local body that governs athletic competitions and development at the national level. Globally, the International Athletics federations Association (IAAF), is responsible for the coordination of the sport.