Athletics,
term denoting a group of athletic events held as
contests between individuals or teams—generally
amateurs—at both indoor and outdoor meetings. In
the United States and many other countries the
sport is called track and field. The basic
categories of the sport are track events,
comprising runs and walks, and field events,
which include jumps and throws. Running events,
which constitute the largest number of athletic
events, range from the indoor 50 m (55 yd)
sprint to the outdoor marathon, covering 41 km
947 m (26 mi 385 yd). In the United Kingdom and
United States the distances covered were
formerly expressed in yards, but since 1976, for
official records, only metric distances (except
for the mile), have been recognized. In Europe
and for the Olympic Games, distances have always
been expressed in metres. In this article,
metric distances are used, with the approximate
imperial measurement in parentheses.
Outdoor meetings usually
are held in a stadium or athletic field built
around a cinder, clay, or synthetic-compound
track; the track is usually a 400 m (440 yd)
oval with two turns and two long straights. Most
of the field events are contested in the area
enclosed by the oval. Special events include the
decathlon for men, consisting of five track
events and five field events, and the heptathlon
for women, consisting of four field events and
three running events.
Athletics In India
Even though athletics in
India has witnessed improvements in terms of
facilities and infrastructure, the general
standard of competition has rarely gone beyond
the mediocre.
Gone are the days when Milkha Singh and T. C.
Yohannan called the shots at the Asian level and
made their mark at the Olympics. Even though the
female lot has been doing better in Asian
competitions, particularly the Kerala girls, the
overall scene is that of a persistent stagnation
in the standard.
One of the prominent reasons for the decline in
the standards is the virtual withdrawal of
Services from athletics. The Services with their
rigorous regimen churned out quality distance
runners and provided employment to budding
athletes. The other major institutional body,
the Railways, too have been showing a laidback
attitude and as such high profile tournaments
like inter-railway meets have suffered.
With other Olympic sports showing remarkable
progress and producing world-class talents,
athletics in India will have to come up with
something special to restore lost glory.
etics,
term denoting a group of athletic events held as
contests between individuals or teams—generally
amateurs—at both indoor and outdoor meetings. In
the United States and many other countries the
sport is called track and field. The basic
categories of the sport are track events,
comprising runs and walks, and field events,
which include jumps and throws. Running events,
which constitute the largest number of athletic
events, range from the indoor 50 m (55 yd)
sprint to the outdoor marathon, covering 41 km
947 m (26 mi 385 yd). In the United Kingdom and
United States the distances covered were
formerly expressed in yards, but since 1976, for
official records, only metric distances (except
for the mile), have been recognized. In Europe
and for the Olympic Games, distances have always
been expressed in metres. In this article,
metric distances are used, with the approximate
imperial measurement in parentheses.