The sport of athletics is defined by the many events which make up its competition programmes. All events within the sport are forms of running, walking, jumping or throwing. These events are divided into the sub-sports of track and field, road running, racewalking and cross country running.

The Olympic athletics programme has played a significant role in shaping the most common events in the sport. The World Athletics Championships is the foremost World Championship event, holding the vast majority of World Championship-level events within the competition. A small number of events, such as the 60 metres, are exclusive to the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Two further, separate World Championship events are held for their specific events: the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships and the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Cross country is one of many events which have appeared at Olympics but no longer form part of the Olympic athletics schedule. Some events, such as the mile run, remain very popular at competitions, despite having neither Olympic nor World Championship status.

Misc

• Men's Indoor 35lb Weight Throw and Women's Indoor 20lb Weight Throw
• Octathlon, combined track and field event featured at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics
• Throws pentathlon, a championship combined track and field event at the World Masters Athletics Championships
• Fierljeppen, Frisian sport of pole vaulting for distance
• Softball throw, athletics event throwing for distance using a softball

• List of world records in athletics
• Para-athletics

• Common track and field events. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-05-21.
• Our sport. World Athletics. Retrieved on 2023-07-27.