Who invented the track and field? – Brief history of sport

Like many of today’s action sports, athletics has its origins in the first Olympic Games in Greece. When you start to investigate who invented athletics, you discover that, again, like soccer, athletics disappeared during the “dark” ages and reappeared with a modern organization during the 19th century.

Since they didn’t have jeeps, tanks, or trucks in the ancient world, soldiers took pride in their athleticism. Running was one of the first competitive sports and it is also a favorite of today’s games. There is some controversy as to when exactly the Olympics began, with a gap in the guesswork from 776 BC. C. until the IX or X century a. C.

There was also a gap in the games, during the Middle Ages. In 1896, they were held again in Athens, when the organizers tried to bring back the ancient tradition. A feature of these games was what is now known as a “marathon race.” It was called “marathon” in honor of the race carried out by Pheidippides in 490 BC. C. from the Greek city of Marathon to Sparta. He ran all day to warn his fellow soldiers of the Persian invasions at Marathon. That distance was about 149 miles; Today’s races are about 26 miles, considerably shorter. When London hosted the 1908 Olympics, its “marathon” ran 26 miles 385 yards (42,195 kilometers), from the starting point to the stadium.

So if you want to consider who invented athletics, you may want to bestow that honor on Pheidippides. However, bronze tripods dating back to his career were discovered, in the 10th century BC, which some believe may have been prizes for earlier games at Olympia. Or, if you want to observe the more sophisticated development of athletics, consider the year 1849, in England, when the Royal Military Academy organized its first athletics meeting. Maybe they should get credit for who invented the track and field?

The old games eventually expanded to include more racing, boxing, wrestling, and a pentathlon with five running, throwing, and jumping events. In the US, organized track and field events date back to the 1860s. Collegiate and amateur groups were formed here in 1873 and 1888 respectively. Organized men’s sporting events grew with the first NCAA national championships in 1921. Women, who had recently received suffrage in the US, were included in the games in 1928. Making history, in 1952, the Union Soviet sent its first teams to the Olympics. Fierce competition between the USSR and the US lasted during the Cold War, for the next 30 years. In the standard Olympic tradition, wars are suspended for time to allow all countries to participate in peace.

Today, favorite events include multiple sporting competitions in the Pentathlon (5 sports), Heptathlon (7) and Decathlon (10). The Athletics Congress (USA) and the International Amateur Athletics Congress determine the sporting rules. Games are limited to amateurs; Professional athletes cannot participate or are prohibited.