About Athletics
Athletics are, in many ways, the embodiment of the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius", meaning faster, higher, stronger.
Athletics (or track and field) is about running faster, jumping higher and throwing further than your competitors. The ancient Games at Olympia began simply with foot races, only occasionally complicated by dressing the runners in infantry armour or making them carry soldiers' shields. Today, athletics remains one of the most popular Olympic sports. From the 100m dash to the 42.195km marathon, from the hammer throw to the high jump, it contains many of the Olympic Games' blue-ribbon events and many of the highest profile competitors.
Disciplines:
Track Events
Include sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), middle-distance running (800m and 1500m) and long-distance running (5000m and 10000m),
hurdling (100m and 400m for women, 110m and 400m for men), relays (4x 100m and 4x400m) and the men's 3000m steeplechase
Road Events
Consists of the men's and women's marathons, the men's 20km and 50km race walks and the women's 10km race walk
Combined Events
The heptathlon for women and the decathlon for men - athletes compete in a series of track and field events over two days.
Points are based upon their finishes in each event, and the person with the most points wins.