MAIN Sports 2012 Summer Olympics Athletics

The athletics competition truly reflects the spirit of the ancient Olympics featuring a test of athletes' abilities, and combining some of the most iconic and popular of all the Olympic sports, including discus throwing, pole vault, and indoor track and field events.

Because athletics encompasses so many different disciplines it is also the venue with the largest field of athletes -- numbering 2,000 men and women in all at the 2012 games:

Throwing events - discus, hammer, javelin and shot put.

Jumping events - pole vault, long jump, high jump and triple jump.

Running events - indoor track events, outdoor marathons, relays and road walks.

Combined events - includes the decathlon for men (ten events) and the heptathlon (seven events) for women. Each event takes place over two days.

More about Olympic Athletics events around the Web:

Athletics | Olympic Sports | London 2012 - Overview of the competition and descriptions on its various events including a short history, interesting trivia, related news and blog postings.

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) - Articles on current and past Olympics are not just full of good information, they're actually fun to read. Add to that the news and involved coverage of all the events and all the extras...you've landed on the best site to follow Summer Olympic Athletics events.

Athletics Weekly - This top British magazine is dedicated to Athletics with a focus on track and field. International coverage does not favor the home country and the articles are insightful as well as informative. Good Olympics coverage.

Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) - This site covers marathons, marathoners and issues that are close to the hearts, legs and feet of long distance endurance runners. Olympic coverage is incidental, but you'll find it.

Physics at the Olympics - Interesting discussion and illustration explaining how pole vaulting works with information on its history, pole materials used, and how energy is released at the final jump.

also see -> Sports Running & Jogging