For most of the 20th century top-level competition in athletics was restricted to the amateur athlete, although the definition of “amateur” evolved over time. In 1981 the IAAF reduced its definition of an amateur athlete to the simplest possible terms: “An amateur is one who abides by the eligibility rules of the IAAF,” allowing for change whenever the federation altered any of its other rules. To reflect the shift away from amateurism and toward professionalization of the sport, in 2001 the IAAF changed its name to the International Association of Athletics Federations—officially excising the word amateur from its name—a change that was further cemented when the organization was again renamed, in 2019, to World Athletics.

Until the 1980s the IAAF attempted to keep its athletes from benefiting financially from the sport. This was always a struggle, however, as star athletes and eager meet promoters managed to circumvent the rules. So did entire nations: eastern European countries provided government aid to athletes, other countries encouraged military personnel to concentrate on track-and-field training, and U.S. athletes received college scholarships in return for their skills.

Financial aid was made acceptable in the 1980s through the use of trust funds. Athletes were permitted to accept payment for appearing in competition, for performing well, for appearing in television commercials, or for other sport-related activities. The money was placed in trust; training expenses could be charged to the fund, with the remaining funds, if any, going to the athlete on retirement from competition. Some athletes were reported to have made several hundred thousand dollars a year under the new system.

Today, the primary functions of World Athletics are to maintain a set of rules that are uniform throughout the world, to approve world records for outdoor and indoor competition, and to promote international athletics. While continuing to administer athletics competition in the Olympic Games, the organization began its own quadrennial World Championships in 1983, established World Cup competitions, and established walking, cross-country, marathon and other road races, indoor track and field, and junior competitions.

Each World Athletics member nation has its own set of rules and maintains its own set of records in line with international guidelines. The amateur athletic federations of individual countries conduct their own national championships.

In the United States, for example, USA Track & Field (USATF; formerly The Athletics Congress [TAC]) alone has the power to select international teams (except for the Olympic team, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee), to establish rules, and to accept or reject records. It also conducts the national championships and other competitions. Meets in which participation is restricted to college or university athletes usually are governed by the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), or one of two junior (two-year) college groups. Most secondary schools in the United States come under the aegis of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations.

The details of the conduct of athletics competitions vary with the location and the level and type of meet. To a great degree the basic sport has been standardized by the rules of World Athletics. Outdoor track events take place on the 400-meter (about 440-yard) oval running track. Track compositions differ greatly. Once almost all tracks were of natural materials (dirt, clay, cinders, and crushed brick being the most common), but all major competition tracks now are made of synthetic materials. The synthetic track provides more consistent and faster footing in all weather conditions. Field event performers also benefit from improved footing; jumpers and javelin throwers perform on the same materials used for synthetic tracks, while the throwers of the shot, discus, and hammer work in circles made of concrete.

Indoor track meets adapt themselves to widely varying and often limiting conditions. Tracks range in size generally from 150 to 200 meters or 160 to 220 yards and have synthetic surfaces over wood. Some tracks have banked curves, while others are unbanked. Cross-country running utilizes any terrain that is available—parks, golf courses, farmland. The prescribed World Athletics distance in international races for men is approximately 12,000 meters (7.5 miles) and for women 4,000 meters (2.5 miles). Road events include walking, marathon, and other road runs of widely varying distances.

Equipment

Every event has items of equipment that are essential to the conduct of the event. All athletes, for example, require shoes that give traction and protection with minimum weight. Other items of equipment include the starting blocks used by sprinters and hurdlers, hurdles, vaulting poles, and the implements employed in the various throwing events.

Timing and measurements

Exacting timing and measurement of performances are a vital part of athletics, not only to determine winners at the meet in question but also to provide marks that can be compared for record purposes. Fully automatic timing, using photography, is required for world records and all major competitions. Timing, once done in fifths of a second and then in tenths, now is done in hundredths of a second. By rule, an aiding wind of more than 2 meters per second (4.473 miles per hour) nullifies a record time in distances up to 200 meters. Metric measurements are required for both track and field events, even in the United States. The only English-measure distance that remains popular is the one-mile run. With the 1987 inauguration of the World Indoor Championships, the IAAF (now World Athletics) began accepting indoor records.

Presentation

Athletics meets differ greatly in presentation. The typical school, university, or club meet is of one-day duration. Conference meets generally last two days, while national championships require three to four days to accommodate large numbers of athletes. The Olympic Games and World Championships are scheduled for eight days of athletics competition.

All track events begin with the firing of a gun. In races of one lap or less the runners remain in their marked lanes for the entire distance. In longer events the runners may ignore the lane markers and run as close to the inside edge of the track as is prudent. The runner whose torso reaches the winning line first is the winner.

Field events have two types of qualifying competitions. In the smaller meets all participants are allowed three attempts, with the top six to nine athletes getting three more. In the larger meets there is a qualifying round from which about 12 athletes advance to the finals, at which stage the remaining competition proceeds in the same manner as in the smaller meets. The exceptions in field event competition are the vertical jumps—the high jump and pole vault. Jumpers are given three tries at each height; three consecutive misses cause elimination.

Although athletics is basically an individual sport, team scoring is sometimes important. Dual meets are always scored, but there are no official scores for multi-team international meets, such as the Olympic Games. Conference and national meets among universities also are scored officially. The points allotted to individual events and places vary from meet to meet. A national competition may award 10 points for first place, 8 for second, and so on. Similarly, an international dual meet awards 5 points for first place, 3 for second, 2 for third, and 1 for fourth. The team with the highest point total wins the meet. Cross-country meets always are scored, with the winner getting 1 point, second place 2 points, etc., the low score winning.

Runners have a chance to compete year-round. The indoor season lasts from January through March; the outdoor competition lasts until June for schools and colleges, with the higher-level individual competitors participating in track through September. In the United States autumn is given over to cross-country running. International cross-country is held in winter.