The first Olympics that began in 776 B.C. From 776 B.C. the games were held in Olympia every four years, and over time many athletic events were added to the games until the duration changed from one day, to five days. A part of these events were foot races that became known as track and field. Athletic competitions were regularly held in union with religious festivals.
However, the real development of Track and Field started in England during the 19th century where college students gave momentum to the sport. Athnet, a recruiting service states, "The Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America, the nation’s first national athletic group, held the first collegiate races in 1873, and in 1888 the Amateur Athletic Union (which governed the sport for nearly a century) held its first championship." Track and field was considered an amateur sport and over time the status amateur became an issue for athletes. Because of amateur status athletes could not accept cash prizes or training money and if charged with professionalism that athlete was banned from the sport for life.
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In the 1920s track and field's scope was broadened as the first NCAA championship was held and women became a part of the Olympic games. Women's track and field was not fully accepted until the 1970s, and in that time after track and field boomed as a whole. The Athletics Congress now regulates the sport in the United States; the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) sanctions international competition. Modern Track and Field is a sport that is made up of three components: Running, Jumping, and Throwing events. It has three seasons, Cross Country, Indoor Track, And Outdoor Track,that culminates a year wide sport.
