The track and field athletics belongs to one of the most ancient and popular sports. Also it is the part of the Olympic Games at which every time legkoatletist prove that, despite solid age of track and field athletics, not all the records are broken and not all human abilities are realized.
Concept "track and field athletics"
The track and field athletics belongs to the Olympic sports. Components of track and field athletics are run, walking, jumps and throwings. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is the governing body uniting 212 national federations. According to IAAF the term "track and field athletics" is determined as the competition at stadium, run by the highway, sports walking, the cross-country and run on the mountains (fell running).
History
The track and field athletics as it is considered to be, began with run competitions at the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. But it is obvious that long before the Olympic Games, for example, run was used by people and in everyday life, not to mention walking. Even before emergence of the first societies and states the people used run and throwing in hunting for the dangerous animal, run escaped from enemies and elements. When life gradually allowed to pay more attention to culture and other types of occupations, what was necessary for survival earlier, was transformed to the separate type of activity for maintenance of physical health or, for example, in case of competitions, to the way of self-affirmation and self-realization now.
But the modern image of track and field athletics went the long way of the formation. Attempts to conceive this sport were carried out in various countries. The foundation was laid in the English city of Rugby in which run competitions on the distance equal of 2 km were organized. Gradually the program of competitions began to extend, included sprint, obstacle race, weight throwing, long jumps and height from running start in it. England not for nothing is the country in which with special awe treat traditions. In 1864 between the oldest universities of England Oxford and Cambridge held the first large competitions which became further annual. And in 1880 the supreme body of track and field athletics sport which united all track and field athletics organizations of the British Empire was created. The United States of America were one more country where paid special attention to development of track and field athletics. By the beginning of the 20th century this sport got into many countries of the world, emergence of the large number of amateur track and field athletics associations became result of what. In 1896 the appeal to traditions of the Ancient Greek Olympic Games and the beginning of revival of the Olympic Games very positively affected broad development of modern track and field athletics.