Athletics at the Olympics
Athletes competing at the Olympics compete in a variety of disciplines. The first Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. Since then, they have been held every four years. The most recent games were held in Tokyo, Japan in 2021. If you’re interested in participating in the next Games, you can find more information about the events, venues, and qualifiers.
Events
There are a variety of Events in Athletics at the Olympic Games. Some of these events are field events, while others are purely jumping events. In the high jump, for example, an athlete must sprint along a runway and then leap over a high-heeled wooden bar. Performing well in this event can help athletes qualify for the finals.
Most athletic events take place on a track. The distances are measured in meters. Some of the track events include the 60m hurdles, the 800 metre run, the high jump, and the discus. Relay events are also common, including the 4×100 and the 4×400 relays. The women’s 100-metre final will take place on Saturday 31 July and the men’s will be held on Sunday 1 August. Other notable athletic events at the Olympics include the men’s steeplechase and the women’s marathon.
Venues
The venues for athletics at the Olympic Games vary in size and purpose, and the IOC is aware of this. It is important to build suitable venues in a place that is suitable for sports and events. However, it is not advisable to build a large venue for athletics, as it is likely to be overcrowded and unusable after the Games. Moreover, it is important to have good planning and design before starting the construction.
Several athletics venues are re-used. The Panathenean Stadium, which hosted the 1896 Summer Olympics, was used for four out of nine sports. In addition, the Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia, hosted the 2000 Summer Games, and the London 2012 Summer Games. A total of 60 venues have been used for athletics at the Summer Olympics. Many of these venues also serve as host venues for opening and closing ceremonies.
Rules
There are some important rules that must be followed in athletics at the Olympics. For instance, sprinters must stay within their pre-assigned lanes until the gun is fired. In addition, they must avoid stepping on the barrier while jumping. Runners must also make sure that their legs or feet do not touch the bar or pit at any point during the race.
Athletes must adhere to the rules set out by the IAAF. Moreover, they must follow all the essential event-specific rules, or they risk being disqualified from the competition.
Qualifiers
The 2020 Summer Olympics will host athletics competitions, and qualification systems are already in place. The qualifying period is expected to end on 29 June 2021, and there will be 1900 athletes representing 196 countries competing. Athletes must complete their qualification by this date in order to take part in the event.
Athletes must first qualify by winning the World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021 to be eligible for the Olympics. For more information, see the updated qualification system document.
Doping problems
The problems with doping in athletics at the Olympics have a long history, but the reasons for using banned substances are not always clear. There’s also a lack of scientific evidence that shows that these drugs actually have any effect on performance. Some athletes use steroids, and others take insulin, diuretics, or other pharmaceuticals.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declared that testing will be much more rigorous in future Olympics. The World Athletics governing body has also warned that doping will be harder to get away with.
