In day October 9th is celebrated the "Athletics Day", a date created to honor the sport considered by many to be the base sport. This name was given because this sport focuses on the natural abilities of human beings, such as running, jumping and throwing.
The first record of sports competitions that is known took place in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC. Ç. In this competition, the Athletics it was the only sport practiced, being disputed a race of approximately 200 meters called “stadium”. Over the years, other modalities have emerged, such as the long jump and record release. These tests in Olympia gave rise to the famous Olympics, which happen to the present day every four years.
The practice of Athletics in Brazil began around 1850 and, according to the Brazilian Athletics Confederation, was probably inserted in the territory by English sailors. Despite being an old practice, only at the Paris Games in 1924, Brazil created its first Olympic Athletics team.
Currently Athletics can be classified into:
→ Track evidence: These events include the various types of races that exist, such as shallow, relay, hurdles and obstacles.
→ Field tests: They include events such as long jump, pole vault, shot put, javelin and discus, among others. Differently from the races, in this case, the performance of each athlete is evaluated, and not the race time.
→ Combined evidence: In these tests the objective is to evaluate the versatility of each athlete and, for that, several tests are carried out. In the decathlon, men are subjected to 10 different tests. In the heptathlon, women perform seven tests.
→ Trekking: These events include street races such as marathons.
→ Athletic march: In this race, athletes march for long distances, ranging from 20 to 50 km. It is observed if the participant is not running, therefore, it is essential to carry out the tests during the day.
→ Field races: Also called cross country, these runs take place on unpaved terrain, such as on grass or dirt. In this modality, participants face natural obstacles, such as water courses.
→ Mountain racing: As its name suggests, it is a race event with a similar route to field races, but it also involves a large number of climbs.
Curiosity:In Brazil, the Brazilian Athletics Confederation is responsible for the sport. In the global sphere, the responsibility rests with the International Association of Athletics Federations.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-atletismo.htm