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Athletics was the original sport at the first Olympics back in 776 BC where the only event held was the stadium-length foot race or "stade". The earliest recorded win was at these games in the stade race.
There were several other "Games" held throughout Europe in later eras:
Other peoples, such as the Celts, Teutons and GothThis article is about the contemporary goth subculture. For the Germanic peoples, see the Goths. Goth is a modern subculture that gained visibility during the early 1980s within the gothic rock scene, a sub-genre of post punk, and continues to this day.s who succeeded the Romans, enjoyed athletic contests. However these were often relegated to training to war, and were not very well organised. In the Middle AgesThe Middle Ages formed the middle period in a schematic division of European history into three 'ages': Classical civilization, the Middle Ages, and Modern Civilization. It is commonly dated from the end of the Western Roman Empire ( 5th century) until th the sons of noblemen would be trained in running, leaping and wrestling, in addition to riding, jousting and arms-training. Contests between rivals and friends would no doubt have been common on both official and unofficial grounds.
Many atheletic sports have found favour in Europe throughout the ages. However, at least in Britain, they fell out favour between the 13th12th century 13th century 14th century other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. Events Fourth through eighth crusades of western European kingdoms against Islam Fall of and 16th centuries15th century 16th century 17th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. Events Beginning of the " Little Ice Age" a cooling period that resulted in lower crop yi due to Government restrictions on sports aiming to reduce the practice of archeryArchery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. Archery has historically been used in hunting and combat, and has become a precision sport. Archery technique In general, the bow is held in the hand opposite the dominant eye. Right eye dominant peo. After this band was lifted in the 17th century16th century 17th century 18th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601- 1700. During this period, the power of England and the United Provinces increased; while that of sports began to flourish once more, but it was not until until the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended that organisation begain to appear. This included the incorporation of regular sports and exercise into school regimes. The Rotal Military College , SandhurstSandhurst is the name of several villages in the UK, the most famous being the one in Berkshire near Camberley. It is the location of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (often referred to simply as "Sandhurst"). Other Sandhursts may be found in Gloucest being one of the first to adopt this in 1812, public schools not following until about 1840.
Modern athletic events are usually organised around a 400 m running track, on which most of the running events take place. Field events (jumping and throwing) often take place in the field in the centre of the running track.
Many athletic events have an ancient origin and were already conducted in competitive form by the ancient Greeks. Athletics was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been part of the program ever since, providing the backbone of the Olympics. Women were not allowed to participate in track and field events in the Olympics until 1928.
An international governing body, the IAAF was founded in 1912. The IAAF established separate outdoor World Championships in 1983. The AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) was the governing body in the United States until it collapsed under pressure from advancing professionalism in the late 1970s. A new governing body called The Athletics Congress (TAC) was formed, it was later renamed USA Track and Field (USATF or USA T&F). An additional, less structured organization, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) also exists in the USA to promote road racing. Both organizations allow athletes to receive money for racing putting an end to the "shamateurism" that existed before.