With track season being right around the corner, there is a lot of history behind it being one of the biggest sports of all time. Track and field was invented centuries ago in Ancient Greece, where men celebrated their Greek gods by presenting their physical abilities. The Olympics is one of the biggest events held in the world with over 3 billion people who tune in every 4 years. There are the “Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games” which happen at different times in the same year. Research states, “The first ancient Olympic games were held in 776 B.C. in the valley of Olympia on the Southwestern coast of the Greek peninsula, and included only one event: the “stadion,” - from which we get the word “stadium”- a 200 meters race, the length of the ancient Olympic stadium” (Abdalazem). Even with the Ancient Olympic Games having not many events, there were still as many as 40,000 spectators in attendance all throughout Greece who came to participate in Games at Olympia. Afterwards, events were added throughout the following years with the realization that this will be a big event going forward: “Additional athletic events were gradually added, including more categories such as the discus, javelin and the broad jump- all still present in today’s sport” (Abdalazem).
It is called track and field for a reason, there are many events that take place on the field and away from sprinting. These reveal other abilities that athletes may possess that aren't just running: “Field events, on the other hand, include high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer” (Abdalazem). Athlete’s that do field events either much rather throw and jump than run, or they may be more genetically gifted in field events. Either way track and field has become a huge inspiration and loving sport for billions of people around the world. With the big audience it brings in, it allows athletes with amazing abilities to perform in front of a large number of people who play the sport. After it gained the popularity it deserved it made its way to the United States. Research states, “Track and field then evolved in the United States, where the first collegiate races were held in 1873. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was founded in 1887 as the governing body for the sport, and still is” (Abdalazem). This is now a very big organization in the sports world to this day and thanks to track and field it helped it start in a good place. Many changes have been made in past centuries to the sport and it has only gone up since than. Track has become a worldwide phenomenon and I hope it continues to get the spotlight it deserves.
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