Track and field, commonly called athletics, is the first Olympic sport, originating in the Valley of Olympia in 776 B.C. The inaugural competition was a 200-metre foot race known as the “stadion race,” with a chef from Elis named Coroebus emerging victorious. With 48 events in the sport, it is the first time in Olympic history that the number of events for men and women is equal. Additionally, the largest Olympic sport is track and field.
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Hurdles and Sprints
- Olympic hurdle, relay, and sprint competitions employ foot plates that are movable and fixed to a rigid frame as starting blocks in Track and Field.
- After the pistol is shot, participants are arranged side by side for the men’s 110-metre hurdles, women’s 100-metre hurdles, and 100-metre sprint.
- The hurdle events of 200, 400, and 400 metres are staggered. False starts immediately disqualify sprinters who begin moving before the starting pistol is fired.
- From the beginning until the end, each competitor is required to stay in the pre-designated lanes, which are numbered 1 through 8.
- Athletes who are compelled to go outside without a meaningful advantage are not disqualified, but those who run outside their designated lane are.
- The first athlete’s torso to cross the nearest edge’s vertical plane is the finish line.
- Upon clearing a hurdle, competitors who have one foot or leg below the hurdle’s horizontal plane will be disqualified.
Middle-distance events
- There are no starting blocks for the 800- and 1500-metre events, and competitors begin erecting with their hands off the ground in Track and Field.
- “On your marks,” is the beginning instruction, and once every athlete reaches their mark, the starting pistol is fired.
- There are eight competitors in each lane for the 800m event, and up to twelve competitors for the 1500m and steeplechase.
- During the first turn of the 800 metres, competitors must stay in their designated lanes; after that, they must break for a position in the inner lane, also referred to as the breaking.
- There are no lane allocations in the 1500m and steeplechase, thus competitors vie for place from the outset.
- Those who trail their foot or leg beside any barrier or step to the side of a jump in the steeplechase will not be allowed to continue.
Long-distance events
- Olympic distance runners start upright and are not allowed to touch the ground with their hands. There are also no starting blocks in these races.
- “On your marks,” is the starting command, and the race officially begins when every competitor reaches their mark.
- There are mass starts and two staggered groups of competitors if there are more than twelve. In race walking, the walker advances one leg at a time until it reaches the vertical upright posture, maintaining consistent touch with the ground.
- Each Olympic race-walking event is judged by six to nine people, and competitors who do not follow the rules on racing walking are warned.
- Three separate judges’ warnings lead to disqualification.
- If a member of the official medical staff orders competitors to resign from the race, they may do so with the consent of the race judge, provided that their departure does not decrease the race distance.
Jumping events
- A failed attempt in a high jump is when the crossbar comes off the supports after the jump because of impact in Track and Field.
- Athletes must start the jump with one foot. Athletes can utilise drugs, not tape, to increase their grip in pole vaults.
- During competition, they are permitted to use their poles.
- If a vaulter breaks a pole during an attempt, it is not regarded as a failure, and they are given another chance.
- Long leaps are measured from the landing area’s take-off line to the closest break.
- When an athlete contacts the ground outside the landing area closer to the take-off line than the closest break in the sand, touches the ground outside the take-off board or takes off from outside either end of the take-off board, the effort is considered unsuccessful.
- A triple jump is a hop, step, and leap manoeuvre in which the hop is executed from the same foot as the jump.
- If the athlete’s non-jumping or “sleeping” leg makes contact with the ground, the effort is considered unsuccessful.
Throwing events
- IAAF-specified tools must be used for Track and Field Olympic competitions; alterations are not permitted.
- Attempts with assistance are prohibited, and tape on hands should only be used to open wounds or cuts.
- Only in the hammer throw competition are gloves permitted. Javelins are thrown from a runway, whereas shots, discus, and hammers are hurled from the throwing circle.
- If an athlete leaves the circle or runway during a throw, it is deemed a failed attempt.
- Athletes must stay in the circle or on the runway until the implement strikes the ground, and legal throws must land inside the designated landing area.
Combined events
- Decathlon and heptathlon competitions are subject to the IAAF individual track and field regulations, with certain modifications.
- Throwing and long jump competitions allow three tries, but track events penalise athletes for faulty starts, with disqualification resulting from more than one wrong start by the same competitor.
Conclusion
The original Olympic sport, track and field, contains 48 events, including hurdles, sprints, middle-distance, long-distance, jumping, throwing, and combined events. It was first played in the Valley of Olympia in 776 B.C. Throwing events use IAAF-specified tools, middle-distance events start with a single foot, long-distance events start upright, hurdles and sprints use movable footplates, and combined events, with some modifications, follow IAAF individual track and field regulations.
