Basic Knowledge about Athletics

Athletics (Track and Field) Rules

General Rules for Athletics 

Uniforms of Athlete 

Athletes must be wear appropriately dressed.  They must be in Athletic wear it means comfort . Casual dress Jeans will not be allowed.  Athletes may compete in athletic shoes only and Track spikes less than 3/8 inch are allowed.  Uniforms are very important for every athlete’s self‐respect and self-esteem.

Order of Events

Running events : Sprints (100m,200, and 400m)

                         Middle Distance (800m and 1500)

                         Long Distance (3000m Steeplechase, 5000m and 10000m)

                         Hurdles (110/100m ,400m)

                         Relays (4x100m and 4x400m)

There are two types of field events: jumping and throwing . 

 Jumping Events : Long Jump                Throwing Event : Shot put throw 

                              High Jump                                             Discus throw 

                              Triple Jump                                            Hammer throw 

                              Pole  vault                                              Javelin 

Multiple Events

    For Men’s Decathlon and For Women’s Heptathlon include a combination of events, It will take two days time for finishing . Points are awarded for each event and at last we find out the overall winner in all events with the most points.

•  Decathlon includes ten events in the following order, at the starting day: 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. and the second day events are 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin, 1500m.
• Heptathlon includes seven events in the following order, at the starting day: 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m and the next day remaining events are long jump, javelin and 800m.

Walking Events

• Walking Race is a special long-distance race event in which the participants must walk as fast as possible , while they are expected to maintain a good form. The competitors are penalized for bending his knee as it passes under the body or having no foot-to-ground contact.
• Men compete in both 20km and 50km events, 20 km walk for women only.

Marathon

• Marathon is a long-distance running event, takes place over a course of 42.195km or (26 miles & 385 yds.) in length.
• Marathon was originally conceived as a race in the Olympics 1896 in Athens, commemorating the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" Means victory , then collapsed and died.
• The unusual distance of  marathon is a result of the 1908 Olympic Games in London where the race distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of royal family's viewing box.

Now we go for ground measurement : 

This is the model of 400 m Running Track in Standard Track total no. of lanes are present 08 and the distance between the lanes is 1.22m in each lane 

A 400-meter and eight-lane track with typical-sized event areas is approximately 5,500 sq. yards in size. Runways for throwing and jumping pads included in the track field . Design are preferably constructed of concrete rather than asphalt and we talk in length and width of ground for making 8 lanes athletic track is 176.91m by 92.5m . 

The Track comprises in 2 semicircles, each semicircle with a radius of 36.50m, which are joined by two straights and each length is 84.39m . The Track has 8 or 6 lanes but in standard track 8 lanes are present . All lanes have a width of 1.22m ± 0.01m.

Immediately before the finishing line, the lanes are marked with numbers with a minimum height of 0.50m. All markings are 0.05m wide. All distances are measured in clockwise direction from the edge of the finishing line nearer to the start to the edge of the starting line farther from the finishing line.

staggered starts for 400m Standard Track

Lane 1: 0 

Lane 2: 7.038 

Lane 3: 14.704

Lane 4: 22.370

Lane 5: 30.034

Lane 6: 37.700

Lane 7: 45.366

Lane 8: 53.032

There are three basic types of track surface—synthetic, unbound mineral (cinder) and grass.

All start lines (except for curved start lines) and the finish line are marked at right angles to the lane lines.

Total of 47 Athletic Events are held in Olympic .24 for male and 23 for Female as on London Olympic 2012