Track And Field History

When one asks the question, what is track and field history one could counter with how far back should we go? Track and field has its origins in antiquity. The very first Olympics held in 776 BC were track and field based. These consisted of runners going barefoot around a track but this primitive style of Olympics set the groundwork in place for many great events to come.

After the Greek empire died out, the Romans took over. The Romans copies and improved upon much of Greek Culture. The Roman games however different from those of their Greek predecessors. They put their emphasis on throwing events rather than running leaving their clear mark on track and field history.

Track and field history took a rather combative tone after the fall of the Roman Empire. The Celts, Teutons and Goths changed there games over to fighting events. Running events stayed in but more common were wrestling, jousting, leaping and arms training. Although these sports were primitive compared to today they are still important to track and field history.

The 19th century saw some of the greatest gains in track and field history. Regular exercise was introduces into school curriculums. These varied greatly from institution to institution but was one of the first regular attempts to modernize sports.

In 1912 an organization known as the IAAF was formed. This organization made it possible for evens like the Commonwealth Games, the Pan American games and the world indoor championships possible. The Olympics were also ongoing at this time but more contests ment more competitive athletes.

Today there is both the indoor track and field season as well as the outdoor. Olympic and profession athletes compete year round and all over the world. Track and field has become one of the most popular sports in the last century. It is hard to believe that such a big sporting area owes its history to small races held in Greece thousands of years ago. When looking at track and field history one can see how far the sport has come.