Written by Kushaan Agarwal, a grade 9 student.

We all have heard of various days, such as Earth Day, or Mother’s Day. But did you know that there exists this one day called ‘World Athletics Day’? Celebrated on 7 May, this day, though not very well-known, was introduced to raise awareness about the importance of athletics and to encourage people, especially children, to participate in sports. On this day, many sports competitions like cross-country races, race walking and many many more races. However, this year, due to the Coronavirus, no competitions would be held to pertain to social distancing.

World Athletics Day was introduced by International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) to promote participation in athletics among youngsters. It is part of the IAAF’s social responsibility project ‘Athletics for a Better World’ and was first celebrated in 1996.  It was first introduced by the then-president of International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), Primo Nebiolo. World Athletics Day is organized and sponsored by IAAF, itself.

What is IAAF?

IAAF or the International Amateur Athletic Federation was founded in 1912 in Stockholm, Sweden. It is the international governing body for the sport of field athletics and track. Their main aim is to popularize athletics amongst youngsters, and also work towards making athletics as one of the main sport in schools.

Where did athletics originate from?

Athletics is the sport which involves running, throwing, jumping and walking. It was invented very long ago. It first originated in the 776 BC Olympic games. The rules and format of the modern events in athletics were defined in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century and were then spread to other parts of the world. The word athletics is derived from the Greek word “athlos”, meaning contest or task.

So, though we cannot really go out for a run or take part in a competition this year, let’s try our best to fulfil this dream of the IAAF to help keep us youngsters fit. Even if it is just stretching ourselves or jogging for some time inside our house, let us all stay fit!

Written by Kushaan Agarwal
Kushaan is an aviation enthusiast. He loves to play basketball and tennis among other sports

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