Athletics is an exclusive collection of
sporting events that involve competitive
running,
jumping, throwing, and
walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are
track and field,
road running,
cross country running, and
race walking. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most commonly competed sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of
relay races and competitions which combine athletes' performances for a team score, such as cross country.
Organized athletics are traced back to the
Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC, and most modern events are conducted by the member clubs of the
International Association of Athletics Federations. The athletics meeting forms the backbone of the modern
Summer Olympics, and other leading international meetings include the
IAAF World Championships and
World Indoor Championships, and athletes with a
physical disability compete at the
Summer Paralympics and the
IPC Athletics World Championships.