ATHLETICS

Track and field is a sport that includes athletic

contests based on running, jumping, and throwing
skills. 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 categorized under the umbrella
sport of athletics, which also includes road
running, cross country running and racewalking. In
British English the term "Athletics" is synonymous
with American "Track and Field" and includes all
jumping events.
HISTORY

Track and field is one of the oldest sports. In ancient times, it was an
event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the
Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. 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. World Athletics, formerly known as the International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is the international
governing body for the sport of athletics.
 HISTORY

The sport of track and field has prehistoric roots, being among the
oldest of all sporting competitions, as running, jumping and throwing
are natural and universal human physical expressions. The first
recorded examples of organized track and field events are the
Ancient Olympic include further running competitions, but the
introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step
towards track and field as it is recognized t o d a y — it comprised a five-
event competition of the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw,
stadion footrace, and wrestling.
HISTORY

•In 1865, D r William Penny Brookes of Wenlock helped set up the National Olympian
Association, which held their first Olympian Games in 1866 at the Crystal Palace in
London. This national event w a s a great success, attracting a crowd of over ten
thousand people. In response, the Amateur Athletic Club w a s formed that same year
and held a championship for "gentlemen amateurs" in an attempt to reclaim the sport
for the educated elite. Ultimately the "allcomers" ethos of the N O A won through and
in 1880 the A A C w a s reconstituted a s the Amateur Athletic Association, the first
national body for the sport of athletics..
 Athletes have historically been willing t o take legal and health risks t o improve their
performance, with some even stating their willingness t o risk their lives, as exemplified by
research by Mirkin, Goldman and Connor in researching attitudes t o the so-called
Goldman dilemma. To prevent use o f performance-enhancing substances, athletes must
submit t o drug tests t h a t are conducted both in and out o f competition by anti-doping
officials or accredited medical staff. Penalized athletes are susceptible t o higher testing
upon return t o competition. Athletes found t o have taken substances on the World Anti-
Doping Agency's banned list receive sanctions and may be banned f r o m competition f o r a
period o f time t h a t corresponds t o the seriousness o f the infraction. However, the use o f
substances not on the prohibited list may also result in sanctions if the substance is deemed
similar t o a banned substance in either composition or effect. Athletes may also be
sanctioned f o r missing tests, seeking t o avoid testing or tampering with results, refusing t o
submit t o testing, through circumstantial evidence, or confession o f use.
T H AN K YO U V
E R Y M U C H!