Don Gardner, age 13, of Rome, N.Y., for his question:
WHERE WAS THE FIRST TRACK MEET HELD?
Track and field meets today rank along with soccer as one of the two most popular sports in the world.
Ancient Greece is where the world's first track meets were held. The only events in the ancient games, which probably date back to before 1400 B.C., were footraces. The first Olympic contest took place in the valley of Olympia, in western Greece, in 776 B.C.
The only event in the first 13 Olympiads was a footrace of about 200 yards. As the years passed, additional longer running races were added.
The pentathlon, which originally consisted of discus throwing, javelin throwing, a long jump, a sprint and wrestling, was added to the Olympics in 708 B.C. Boxing came along in 688 B.C. and the four horse chariot race was added in 680 B.C.
When the Roman Empire conquered Greece during the 100s B.C., the quality of the meets declined. Contestants became interested only in winning money. So in A.D. 394, Emperor Theodosius ordered the games ended and there were no Olympics held for more than 1,500 years.
Today, during every spring in most high schools and colleges, athletes compete in track and field and events that feature running, jumping and throwing. Meets are held both indoors and outdoors. Many of the athletes dream of taking part in the modern Olympics, which are held every four years. The next one will be held in the summer of 1984 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Track events include running, hurdle races, the steeplechase, walking races and relays. Running races vary in length from short sprints, which are sometimes called dashes, to mile long runs. Relays are run by teams of four runners.
Field events include the long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault. The throwing events include the discus, hammer, javelin and shot put.
Also popular is the decathlon, a men's competition that consists of 10 events.
Today, both boys and girls take part in track meets. Track and field meets range from dual meets between two teams to world championships involving teams that represent dozens of nations. Some meets allow men and and women to compete as unattached athletes, rather than as team members.
At the end of most track and field seasons, many high school and college teams compete in conference or league championship meets. The winners often advance to state or national championship meets.
Today, the National Collegiate Athletic Association sponsors an annual championship meet for member colleges and universities. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics holds a similar meet for its members.
A relay meet emphasizes relay races rather than individual competition. The Penn Relays, sponsored each year by the University of Pennsylvania, are the largest annual track and field meet in the world. More than 7,000 athletes take part in this meet each year.