| Size: | 150 |
| Code: | ATH |
| Sport: | athletics |
| Menevents: | 23 |
| Womenevents: | 23 |
| Mixedevents: | 2 |
Athletics has been contested at every Summer Olympics since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics. The athletics program traces its earliest roots to events used in the ancient Greek Olympics. The modern program includes track and field events, road running events, and race walking events. Cross country running was also on the program in earlier editions but it was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics.
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The events contested have varied widely. From 1900 to 1920, tug of war was considered to be part of the Olympic athletics programme, although the sports of tug of war and athletics are now considered distinct.[1]
No new events have been added to the men's athletics programme since the 1956 addition of the short racewalk. The roster of events has not changed since then, with the exception of the omission of the long racewalk in 1976 (the IAAF held a 50 km walk World Championships that year instead and as a result the event was restored in 1980). The long racewalk is the only event currently held for men but not included on the women's programme, with the exception of women taking part in the heptathlon rather than the decathlon and the 100 metres hurdles rather than the 110 metres hurdles. The last women's event added to the roster was the 3000 metres steeplechase in 2008.
A total of 52 different events have been held in the men's competition. The current list comprises 23 events. Many of the discontinued events were similar to modern ones but at different lengths, especially in the steeplechasing, hurdling, and racewalking disciplines. Team racing events have been eliminated after appearing in six early editions of the Games. The athletic triathlon (an unusual event, held only once and featuring gymnasts competing in the long jump, shot put, and 100 metre dash) and pentathlon multi-discipline events were phased out in favor of the decathlon, and the medley relay replaced with even-leg relays. Standing jump competitions are no longer held, nor are the various modified throwing events which were experimented with in 1908 and 1912. Cross country running was on the program from 1912 to 1924 and is the most prominent form of athletics not to feature at the Olympics.
Past events that occurred only onceOnly at the 1900 Summer Olympics
Only at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Only at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Only at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Only at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Past events that occurred twice to five times
| 96 ! | Years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kilometres race walk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | - | 20 |
Women's competition in athletics began at the 1928 Summer Olympics
| 28 ! | Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 23 | ||
| 200 metres | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 20 | ||
| 400 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 15 | ||
| 800 metres | X | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 18 | ||
| 1500 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 14 | ||
| 5000 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | ||
| 10,000 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 | ||
| Marathon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 11 | ||
| 100 metres hurdles | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 14 | ||
| 400 metres hurdles | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 11 | ||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | 5 | |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 23 | |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 14 | |
| 20 kilometres race walk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 7 | |
| High jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 23 | |
| Pole vault | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 7 | |
| Long jump | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 20 | |
| Triple jump | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 | |
| Shot put | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 20 | |
| Discus throw | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 23 | |
| Hammer throw | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 7 | |
| Javelin throw | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 22 | |
| Heptathlon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 11 |
| 28 ! | Games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 metres hurdles | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | − | - | 8 | |
| Pentathlon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | − | − | 5 | |
| 3000 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | – | – | – | – | – | – | − | − | 3 | |
| 10 kilometres race walk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | – | – | – | – | – | − | − | 2 | |
| Total | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
The mixed event, a 4 x 400 meters relay, first made an appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2] The event includes teams of four athletes, two men and two women who are allowed to run in any order decided by the team. Paris 2024 will feature one more mixed team event.[3]
| 20 ! | Games | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 400 metres relay | X | X | 2 | |
| Marathon Race Walking Mixed Relay | – | X | 1 | |
| Total | 1 | 2 |
Every nation that has competed at the Olympics has entered the athletics competition. The numbers below represent how many athletes each nation sent that year, starting with 1896.[4]
NOTE: This table is a work in progress. The empty boxes in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 columns do not necessarily mean that the country did not send athletes that year.
Updated after the 2024 Summer Olympics, considering stripped medals and reallocated medals as of August 2024.