Athletics: track events and starts

Athletics is track and field: running, jumping and throwing. The first recorded event was the stadion footrace at Olympia in 776 B.C.; the ancient pentathlon had discus, long jump, javelin, the stadion and wrestling. The AAA (England, 1880) was the first national body; the IAAF dates from 1912 and India's AAFI from 1946.

Events fall into four groups: track (running), field (jumps and throws), combined (decathlon for men, 10 events in two days; heptathlon for women, 7 events) and events outside the stadium (marathon 42.195 km, 20 km and 50 km walks).

Track races are short (100-400 m, hurdles, relays), middle (800 m, 1500 m) and long distance (3000 m steeplechase, 5000 m, 10,000 m). The standard track is a 400 m oval; up to 400 m each athlete keeps a lane 1.22-1.25 m wide.

Rules: shoes and a number on chest and back; a false start expels the athlete (combined events give one warning); the 800 m breaks to the inside lane after the first bend.

Sprints use a crouch start from blocks: bunch (blocks close, 8-11 inches apart), medium (15-20 inches, the most used) and elongated (25-29 inches). Commands: 'On your marks', 'Set', gun. Finishes: lunge, shoulder shrug, run through. Middle and long races use a standing start.