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Article Outline Introduction; Track-and-Field Venues; Athletes and Teams; Officials; Timing and Measurements; Running Events; Jumping Events; Throwing Events; Combined Events; Training and Preparation; High School and Collegiate Programs; National and International Competition; History
Track and Field, a group of running, hurdling, jumping, and throwing events held between individuals or teams at indoor and outdoor meets. The running and hurdling competitions make up the track events, while the jumping and throwing contests comprise the field events. In many countries the sport as a whole is called athletics. Running races are the most prominent track-and-field events; they range in length from the indoor 50-meter dash to the outdoor marathon, which is 42 km, 195 m (26 mi, 385 yd) long. Track-and-field events are easy to stage, which is one reason for the sport’s worldwide popularity. The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) governs the sport internationally and boasts more than 200 member nations. In the United States and Canada, track and field is one of the most popular high school sports. Each year more than 950,000 high school students participate in competitions. Modern track and field traces its origin to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, which were staged more than 2,500 years ago. While the rules of 20th-century competition are quite different from those of ancient times, the spirit of the sport remains true to its early Greek roots. The modern Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (faster, higher, stronger) best captures track-and-field competition. Each event determines who can run the fastest, who can jump the highest or the longest, or who can throw the farthest. The metric system is used to measure track and field’s many distances and heights. (The use by the United States and Britain of the English system of inches, feet, yards, and miles ended only in 1976.) One meter is about 3 ft 3 in, or about 39 inches. Sponsored Sites
Most outdoor track-and-field meets occur in stadiums or areas with some spectator seating. The track, which is surfaced with an all-weather material such as asphalt or a rubberized compound, encircles a grassy area called the infield, where field events take place. A typical outdoor track is a 400-m (437-yd) oval. Most tracks have eight lanes, and all races go in a counterclockwise direction. Running events often occur simultaneously with one or more field events. Most indoor meets occur in arenas. The tracks are usually 200 m (218 yd) in length, and because of this, indoor track and field has a different set of records from outdoor track. Because they are shorter, indoor tracks also have banked turns that allow runners to reach top speed without running off the track.
Track and field is essentially an individual sport. Still, in many contexts, especially high school and college, teams exist. There is no fixed number of members on track teams, and many athletes participate in more than one event. In collegiate and high school championships, athletes score points for their schools, and in most cases, a team champion is crowned. Outside of organized school competitions, in most open and elite invitationals, no team scores are kept; while athletes may belong to separate clubs, team dynamics have little bearing on the competition. At the Olympics and other international championships, athletes compete for their nations. A single nation, however, does not win the Olympics, because there is no official team scoring system. Only the track-and-field World Cup, an international meet held every four years, uses official team scoring for individual nations. Most track-and-field athletes wear a uniform in the color of their team, club, or nation. Typical dress consists of a singlet or tank top, and light shorts designed for maximum comfort and performance. The most important piece of equipment is a pair of spiked track shoes. Most competitors also wear a number pinned to the uniform. This helps officials, judges, and fans identify specific athletes during competition.
In top-level track and field, a team of impartial officials supervises events. Officials assign athletes to compete in the proper order or proper lane. They also start races, ensure that no illegal conduct occurs, and time and judge the finish. In the field events, officials measure each athlete's efforts and watch closely for fouls. In youth and high school contests, one or two officials, helped by various volunteers, supervise the events. The officials report to a referee or the meet director, who takes responsibility for the overall organization of the competition.
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