For human, physical sports see Athletic sports. For sport at U.S. colleges, see College athletics. For other uses, see Athletics (disambiguation)

Athletics

Highest governing body	IAAF
Characteristics
Mixed-sex	no
Type	Outdoor or indoor
Presence
Olympic	Present since the 1896 Olympic Games

Athletics is a collection of competitive sports events that involve running, jumping, throwing, and walking. Types of athletics competitions include track and field, road running, cross country running, mountain running and race walking. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most commonly competed sports in the world.

Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of the International Association of Athletics Federations. The athletics meeting forms the backbone of the modern Summer Olympics, and other leading international meetings include the IAAF World Championships and World Indoor Championships.

The term "athletics" is derived from the Greek word "athlos", meaning "contest".

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