Overview
Athletics is the cornerstone sport of the Olympic Games and its most widely practised. It has appeared in every edition of the modern Olympics since Athens 1896 — a distinction no other sport can claim. Drawing its roots from the ancient Greek Games, athletics today encompasses more than 48 individual events for men and women, giving it the largest programme of any sport at the Olympics.
Competition is divided into two main categories: track and field. Track events include the sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), middle distance (800m, 1500m), long distance (5000m, 10000m, and the marathon), as well as hurdles, the 3000m steeplechase, relays, and race walking (20km and 35km). Field events comprise four jumping disciplines — high jump, long jump, triple jump, and pole vault — and four throwing events: shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin. Rounding out the programme are the combined events: the decathlon for men and the heptathlon for women, widely regarded as the sport's most demanding test.
The sport is governed internationally by World Athletics, founded in 1912. Women's events were introduced at Amsterdam 1928, and the programme has since evolved toward near-complete gender parity, with mixed relays added in recent Olympic cycles. The 100m final remains the most-watched moment of any Games, while the marathon evokes the founding legend of the modern Olympic movement.
Featured News
Team Qatar Claims 4x400m Relay Silver at Aichi-Nagoya 2026
NAGOYA, Japan – Team Qatar secured the silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 20th Asian Games in Japan after delivering an impressive performance in the final.The Team Qatar quartet of Basem Mohammed, Ismail Abkar, Youssef Abdulaziz Jabrain and Ammar Ibrahim produced a strong and commendable performance to finish second in a time of 3:00.93, the team’s fastest time of the season.The Qatari quartet displayed excellent teamwork and determination throughout the final, producing a collective performance worthy of a place on the Asian Games podium.Their silver medal capped a strong showing in the event, with the Team Qatar athletes maintaining their composure and executing their race plan effectively to secure second place and add another medal to Qatar’s tally at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Qatar’s Abubaker Abdalla Claims 800m Bronze at Aichi-Nagoya 2026
NAGOYA, Japan – Team Qatar’s Abubaker Abdalla secured the bronze medal in the men’s 800m at the 20th Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026, after delivering an impressive performance in Japan.|Abdalla crossed the finish line in 1:45.25, setting a new personal best and earning a place on the Asian Games podium.His Team Qatar teammate Hatem Hameed also produced a strong performance, finishing sixth in 1:46.41.
Team Qatar Set for 4x400m Relay Medal Battle at Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Aichi-Nagoya - Team Qatar secured a place in the men’s 4x400m relay final at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after producing a season-best performance in the heats.The quartet of Ismail Dawood, Youssef Abdulaziz Jebreen, Samer Mousa Hassan and Mohammed Kalla crossed the finish line in 3:01.71 to take second place in their heat and qualify for the final.Their season-best effort has set up a medal opportunity in the final, where the Qatari quartet will go up against a strong field featuring several of Asia’s leading relay teams.
Team Qatar Claim Gold and Bronze in Athletics at Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Aichi-Nagoya , Japan - Team Qatar continued to shine at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, as the athletics team claimed two medals , one gold and one bronze , taking Qatar’s overall tally to seven medals: three gold, two silver and two bronze.Team Qatar athlete Bassem Mohammed won the gold medal in the men’s 400m hurdles after crossing the finish line in 47.82 seconds, adding another achievement to his record at the Asian Games.Bassem had previously won silver at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, before reaching the top of the podium at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, underlining his strong presence in Asian competition and proudly raising the Qatari flag.Zakaria Ibrahim also secured the bronze medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase after finishing third in 8:18.13, earning a place on the podium in his first Asian Games appearance.The bronze medal carries particular significance for Zakaria, who is making his Asian Games debut and, at 22, was the youngest athlete in the final, highlighting his potential for the future.The medal ceremonies took place at the Paloma Mizuho Sports Park athletics stadium in Nagoya, where Bassem Mohammed and Zakaria Ibrahim proudly raised the Qatari flag on the podium.The two medals took Team Qatar’s overall tally at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 to seven: three gold, two silver and two bronze.Qatar’s first gold medal was won by the men’s skeet team of Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, Rashid Saleh Al Athba and Ali Ahmed Al Ishaq, before Rashid added a second gold in the individual skeet event. Bassem Mohammed then claimed Qatar’s third gold in the 400m hurdles.Team Qatar’s first silver came through karate athlete Abdulrahman Mustafa in the men’s under-60kg event, while the men’s 3x3 basketball team secured the second silver.The first bronze medal was won by karate athlete Abdullah Rashad Mohieddin Babiker in the men’s under-84kg event, before Zakaria Ibrahim added the second with his third-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase.