140-770: The Roger Bannister running track , also known as the Oxford University track , is a 400-metres athletics running track and stadium in Oxford , England . It was where Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile on 6 May 1954, when it was known as the Iffley Road track . The track is owned and operated by the University of Oxford . In 1867, the University of Oxford built a grass track 536 metres (0.333 mi) round at Marston Road Sports Grounds. It
280-476: A crush barrier near the access tunnel was removed in 1986 to improve the flow of fans entering and exiting the central enclosure. After the crush in 1981, Hillsborough was not selected to host an FA Cup semi-final again until 1987. Significant overcrowding was observed at the ground during that year's quarter-final between Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City , and again during the semi-final between Coventry City and Leeds United . The Leeds fans were assigned
420-519: A persistent vegetative state showing no sign of improvement. This followed a legal challenge in the High Court by his family to have his treatment withdrawn, a landmark challenge which succeeded in November 1992. Andrew Devine, aged 22 at the time of the disaster, suffered similar injuries to Tony Bland and was also diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state. In March 1997 – just before
560-565: A requiem mass attended by 3,000 people was held by the Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool , Derek Worlock . The first reading was read by Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar. Liverpool players Ronnie Whelan , Steve Nicol , and former manager Joe Fagan carried the communion bread and wine. The FA chief executive Graham Kelly , who had attended the match, said the FA would conduct an inquiry into what had happened. Speaking after
700-536: A 19-year-old student at Exeter College , was elected President of Oxford University's Athletic Club. He made it a prime aim of his presidency to replace the bumpy, uneven track with a new six-lane 440 yards (400 m) track. Two years later, in 1950, the new 440 yards track was refurbished and was opened by John Lowe , the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford . Since 1950, the running track has been modernised on several occasions. In 1976 work started on
840-553: A 30-minute postponement. The people still trapped in the pens were packed so tightly that many victims died of compressive asphyxia while standing. Meanwhile, on the pitch, police, stewards and members of the St John Ambulance service were overwhelmed. Many uninjured fans were assisting the injured; several attempted CPR and others tore down advertising hoardings to use as makeshift stretchers. SYP chief superintendent John Nesbit later briefed Michael Shersby MP, at
980-663: A Police Federation meeting in October 1989, that allowing the fans to help with the rescue effort was a deliberate strategy "otherwise they might have turned their frustration on the police." The agreed protocol for the South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (SYMAS) was that ambulances were to queue at the entrance to the gymnasium under the North Stand, termed the casualty reception point , or CRP. Any individuals within
1120-763: A charity version of the Gerry and the Pacemakers song " Ferry Cross the Mersey " was released in aid of those affected. The record was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and featured Liverpool musicians Paul McCartney , Gerry Marsden (of the Pacemakers), Holly Johnson , and The Christians . It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1 on 20 May, and remained at the top of the chart for three weeks. Despite having stronger ties to Liverpool F.C., Gerry and
1260-422: A competitive advantage or differing cultural perspectives over the eligibility of a category. Beyond the primary categories based on physical attributes, some competitions have further eligibility criteria based on nationality, community membership or occupation. The foremost division of this kind is by sex[ling]: in athletics, men and women almost exclusively compete against people of the same sex. In contrast to
1400-536: A competitive age grouping is typically assessed through official documentation, such as birth records or passports. Instances of age cheating have occurred at all of the IAAF's global age category championships. One prominent incident was Olympic medalist Thomas Longosiwa , who provided a falsified passport to compete at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics at age 24. Age falsification for youth categories
1540-451: A disability. Blind Ivy Granstrom set numerous Masters world records while being guided around the track. The disability categories have caused dispute among athletes, with some athletes being accused of exaggerating their level of disability in order to compete in less challenging categories. Athletes with intellectual disabilities were banned from competition in all Paralympic sports in response to verification issues and cheating at
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#17327871612401680-489: A final points tally. The most prestigious track and field contests occur within athletics championships and athletics programmes at multi-sport events . The Olympic athletics competition and World Championships in Athletics , and the Paralympic athletics competition and World Para Athletics Championships , are the highest and most prestigious levels of competition in track and field. Track and field events have become
1820-504: A further seven turnstiles (lettered A to G) gave access to 10,100 standing places in the lower tier of the West Stand. Although a greater number of Liverpool supporters were expected to attend the match, Nottingham had been allocated the larger spectator area, to avoid the approach routes of rival fans crossing. As a result of the stadium layout and the segregation policy, the additional turnstiles that would normally have allowed access to
1960-642: A gesture of respect to the victims. During the final match of the 1988–89 English Football League season, contested on 26 May 1989 between Liverpool and second-place Arsenal , the Arsenal players presented flowers to fans in different parts of Anfield in memory of those who had died in the Hillsborough disaster. A disaster appeal fund was set up with donations of £500,000 from the UK Government , £100,000 from Liverpool F.C. and £25,000 each from
2100-460: A level at which they can compete against able-bodied athletes. Legally blind Marla Runyan ran in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won a gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 1999 Pan American Games . Oscar Pistorius , a double amputee, was a semi-finalist at the 2011 World Championships and won a silver medal as part of South Africa's 4 × 400 metres relay team . In masters athletics it is far more common to make an accommodation for athletes with
2240-433: A match. Two more gates (A and B) were subsequently opened to further relieve the pressure. After an initial rush, thousands of supporters entered the stadium "steadily at a fast walk". When the gates were opened, thousands of fans entered a narrow tunnel leading from the rear of the terrace into two overcrowded central pens (pens 3 and 4), creating pressure at the front. Hundreds of people were pressed against one another and
2380-420: A number of safety improvements in the largest English football grounds, notably the elimination of fenced standing terraces in favour of all-seater stadiums in the top two tiers of English football. The first coroner's inquests into the Hillsborough disaster, completed in 1991, concluded with verdicts of " accidental death " in respect of all the deceased. Families disputed the findings, and fought to have
2520-600: A professional track and field circuit in the United States in the 1970s. Athletes used their increasing status to push for remuneration and the IAAF responded with the IAAF Golden Events series and the establishment an outdoor World Championships in 1983, including track and field, racewalking and a marathon event. In modern times, athletes can receive money for racing, putting an end to the so-called " amateurism " that existed before. The global body updated
2660-464: A safety certificate for the stadium in 1978 concluded that although it failed to meet the recommendations of the Green Guide , a guide to safety at sports grounds, the consequences were minor. It emphasised the general situation at Hillsborough was satisfactory compared with most grounds. Sheffield Wednesday were later criticised for neglecting safety in the stadium, especially after an incident in
2800-450: A similar meaning. In many parts of North America, athletics is commonly understood as encompassing sports in general, aligning with its historical usage. The term "athletics" is seldom used specifically to denote the sport of athletics in this region. Instead, "track and field" is the preferred term used in the United States and Canada to describe athletics events, which include race-walking and marathon running (although cross-country running
2940-422: A sports festival which emerged in 17th century England , featured athletics in the form of sledgehammer throwing contests. Annually, from 1796 to 1798, L'Olympiade de la République was held in revolutionary France , and is an early forerunner to the modern Olympic Games. The premier event of this competition was a running event, but various ancient Greek disciplines were also on display. The 1796 Olympiade marked
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#17327871612403080-490: A team score, such as cross country. Organized athletics are traced back to the ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC. 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. Most modern top level meetings are held under the auspices of World Athletics , the global governing body for
3220-454: A winner. The sport became professionalised as footmen were hired specifically on their athletic ability and began to devote their lives to training for the gambling events. The amateur sports movement in the late 19th century marginalised competitions based on the professional, gambling model. The 1896 Summer Olympics saw the birth of the modern marathon and the event led to the growth of road running competitions through annual events such as
3360-426: Is a form of competitive walking that usually takes place on open-air roads, although running tracks are also occasionally used. Racewalking is the only sport in athletics in which judges monitor athletes on their technique. Racewalkers must always have a foot in contact with the ground and their advancing leg must be straightened, not bent at the knee – failure to follow these rules results in disqualification from
3500-399: Is defined by the venue in which the competitions are held – the athletics stadium . A variety of running events are held on the track which fall into three broad distance categories: sprints , middle-distance , and long-distance track events . Relay races feature teams comprising four runners each, who must pass a baton to their teammate after a specified distance with the aim of being
3640-432: Is designed similarly to an outdoor track, but is only 200 metres in length and has between four and eight lanes, each with width between 0.90 m and 1.10 m. Often, the bends of an indoor track will be banked to compensate for the small turning radius. However, because of space limitations, indoor tracks may have other nonstandard lengths, such as 160-yard (146.3 m) indoor track at Madison Square Garden used for
3780-636: Is fitting that the track at Iffley Road where Roger (Bannister) set this momentous record should be re-named in his honour. I hope that many other records will be set at this newly refurbished track and that some young athletes that run here will go on to compete in the London 2012 Games ." Later, Bannister started a series of one-mile races by University of Oxford students to mark the event. The new track has been awarded UK Athletics certification, which allows race meetings to be held and be eligible for any record attempts by athletes. In 1954, Bannister set himself
3920-653: Is mostly limited to less developed parts of the world, such as Africa and South Asia, which have less stringent controls on official documentation and many mature athletes engaging in high school competition due to disruptions to education. The same regions of the world also present issues with age verification in masters age categories, with examples such as Indian distance runners Dharampal Singh Gudha and Fauja Singh (both claiming to be over 100 years old) reaching mainstream attention. Athletes with physical disabilities have competed at separate international events since 1952. The International Paralympic Committee governs
4060-727: Is typically categorized as a distinct sport). Athletic contests in running, walking, jumping and throwing are among the oldest of all sports and their roots are prehistoric . Athletics events were depicted in the Ancient Egyptian tombs in Saqqara , with illustrations of running at the Heb Sed festival and high jumping appearing in tombs from as early as of 2250 BC. The Tailteann Games were an ancient Celtic festival in Ireland , founded c. 1800 BC , and
4200-402: The 1912 Summer Olympics . One variation on traditional cross country is mountain running , which incorporates significant uphill and downhill sections as an additional challenge to the course. Fell running and Orienteering are other competitive sports similar to cross country, although they feature an element of navigation which is absent from the set courses of cross country. Racewalking
4340-574: The Great North Run , attract similar attention. An international governing body, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), was founded in 1912. It enforced amateur sport status on competitions during much of the 20th century. Professional competition continued at a low level, becoming increasingly more common as the century progressed. The International Track Association briefly formed
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4480-541: The Heysel Stadium disaster ) amongst many others. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Home Secretary Douglas Hurd visited Hillsborough the day after the disaster and met survivors. Anfield stadium was opened on the Sunday to allow fans to pay tribute to the dead. Thousands of fans visited and the stadium filled with flowers, scarves and other tributes. In the following days more than 200,000 people visited
4620-503: The IAAF World Race Walking Cup – which has been held since 1961. The IAAF World Race Walking Challenge forms the primary seasonal competition – athletes earn points for their performances at ten selected racewalking competitions and the highest scoring walkers are entered into that year's IAAF Race Walking Challenge Final . The significant variation in people's abilities in the sport of athletics has led to
4760-509: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to examine actions by police in the aftermath. The second coroner's inquests were held from 1 April 2014 to 26 April 2016. They ruled that the supporters were unlawfully killed owing to grossly negligent failures by police and ambulance services to fulfil their duty of care . The inquests also found that the design of the stadium contributed to
4900-562: The M62 motorway which resulted in minor traffic congestion. Between 2:30 pm and 2:40 pm, there was a build-up of supporters outside the turnstiles facing Leppings Lane, eager to enter the stadium before the game started. At 2:46 pm, the BBC's football commentator John Motson had already noticed the uneven distribution of people in the Leppings Lane pens, and while rehearsing for
5040-558: The Millrose Games . Because of space limitations, meetings held at indoor facilities do not hold many of athletics events typically contested outdoors. Hillsborough Disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal crowd crush at a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield , South Yorkshire , England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in
5180-464: The Panel explained in their report: The equipment was no use on the ambulance vehicle when critical early resuscitation was taking place some distance away on the pitch, behind the Leppings Lane end and in the gymnasium. Some ambulance crew did take equipment when they left their vehicle, but there was no systematic direction to do so, not all did, and none initially had been given any information about
5320-721: The Summer Paralympics . The World Marathon Majors series includes the six most prestigious marathon competitions at the elite level – the Berlin , Boston , Chicago , London , New York City and Tokyo Marathons . The sport of road running finds its roots in the activities of footmen : male servants who ran alongside the carriages of aristocrats around the 18th century, and who also ran errands over distances for their masters. Foot racing competitions evolved from wagers between aristocrats, who pitted their footman against that of another aristocrat in order to determine
5460-739: The Towerrunning World Association ). Snowshoe running is a winter sport governed by the World Snowshoe Federation , which is similarly to cross country running but has athletes wearing snowshoes to race over deep snow on an obstacle-free course. The International Association of Ultrarunners organises ultra running as an affiliate of World Athletics, but these long-distance forms of competition fit within World Athletics disciplines, albeit with additional distance. Athletics, specifically
5600-842: The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships – first held in 1876 by the New York Athletic Club . Athletics became codified and standardized via the English AAA and other general sports organisations in the late 19th century, such as the Amateur Athletic Union (founded in the US in 1888) and the Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (founded in France in 1889). An athletics competition
5740-932: The World Athletics Road Running Championships . Athletes with a physical disability compete at the Summer Paralympics and the World Para Athletics Championships . The most prestigious glabal season-long leagues in the sport are the Diamond League for track and field athletes, and the World Marathon Majors in marathon runnning. The word athletics is derived from the Ancient Greek ἀθλητής ( athlētēs , "combatant in public games") from ἆθλον ( athlon , "prize") or ἆθλος ( athlos , "competition"). Initially,
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5880-425: The long jump and triple jump are contests measuring the horizontal distance an athlete can jump, while the high jump and pole vault are decided on the height achieved. Combined events , which include the decathlon (typically competed by men) and heptathlon (typically competed by women), are competitions where athletes compete in a number of different track and field events, with each performance going toward
6020-497: The "shrine" inside the stadium. The following Sunday, a link of football scarves spanning the 1 mile (1.6 km) distance across Stanley Park from Goodison Park to Anfield was created, with the final scarf in position at 3:06 pm. Elsewhere on the same day, a silence – opened with an air-raid siren at three o'clock – was held in central Nottingham with the colours of Forest, Liverpool and Wednesday adorning Nottingham Council House . At Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral ,
6160-459: The 'lens of hooliganism'. Three chartered trains had transported Liverpool supporters to Sheffield for the 1988 semi-final, but only one such train was provided in 1989. The 350 passengers arrived at the ground at about 2:20 pm. Many of the supporters wished to enjoy the day and were in no hurry to enter the stadium too early. Some were delayed by roadworks while crossing the Pennines on
6300-585: The 1860s, including a meet at Ashburnham Hall in London which featured four running events and a triple jump competition. The Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) was established in England in 1880 as the first national body for the sport of athletics and began holding its own annual athletics competition – the AAA Championships . The United States also began holding an annual national competition –
6440-410: The 2000 Summer Paralympics and the intellectual disability athletics programme was only restored twelve years later at the 2012 Summer Paralympics . Professional athletics almost exclusively takes place in one of three types of venue: stadiums , set courses on grass or woodland, and road-based courses. Such venues ensure that events take place in a relatively standardised manner, as well as improving
6580-674: The Boston Marathon (first held in 1897) and the Lake Biwa Marathon and Fukuoka Marathons , which were established in the 1940s. The 1970s running boom in the United States made road running a common pastime and also increased its popularity at the elite level. Ekiden contests – which originated in Japan and remain very popular there – are a relay race variation on the marathon, being in contrast to
6720-503: The Bradford City stadium fire, Bradford City and Lincoln City , met for the first time since the 1985 disaster in a game that raised £25,000 for the Hillsborough fund. By the time the appeal closed in 1990, it had raised more than £12 million. Much of the money went to victims and relatives of those involved in the disaster and provided funds for a college course to improve the hospital phase of emergency care. In May 1989,
6860-457: The Leppings Lane end for the semi-final; one fan described disorganisation at the turnstiles and no steward or police direction inside the stadium, resulting in the crowd in one enclosure becoming so compressed that he was at times unable to raise and clap his hands. Other accounts told of fans having to be pulled to safety from above. Liverpool and Nottingham Forest met in the semi-final at Hillsborough in 1988, and fans again reported crushing at
7000-716: The Leppings Lane end. Liverpool lodged a complaint before the match in 1989. One supporter wrote to the Football Association and the Minister for Sport : "The whole area was packed solid to the point where it was impossible to move and where I, and others around me, felt considerable concern for personal safety." South Yorkshire Police (SYP) presence at the previous year's FA Cup semi-final (also between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest and also at Hillsborough Stadium) had been overseen by Chief Superintendent Brian L. Mole. Mole had supervised numerous police deployments at
7140-456: The North Stand from the east were not being used, and the Liverpool fans were forced to converge on the single entrance at Leppings Lane. On the day of the match, radio and television broadcasters were advising anyone without a ticket not to attend. Rather than establishing crowd safety as their top priority, the clubs, local authorities and police viewed their roles and responsibilities through
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#17327871612407280-523: The Olympics, even among casual sports fans, but otherwise is less popular though it maintains a dedicate fan base. Big city marathons such as New York , Boston , Chicago , London and Tokyo are major televised events in their respective cities, and often attract thousands of entrants and tens of thousands of spectators, for whom the event is usually free as it takes place on normal city roads. A small number of half marathons and road mile races, including
7420-601: The Oxford University team Nigel Miller arrived as a spectator and he only realized that he was due to run when he read the programme. Efforts to borrow a running kit failed and he could not take part. The Taylor Report , published after the Hillsborough Disaster , made a number of recommendations for the safety of all stadia. The capacity of the Iffley Road stadium had to be reduced to 499, as
7560-440: The Pacemakers' earlier hit " You'll Never Walk Alone " was not used because it had recently been re-recorded for the Bradford City stadium fire appeal. By the disaster's 10th anniversary in 1999, at least three people who survived were known to have taken their own lives. Another survivor had spent eight years in psychiatric care. There were cases of alcoholism, drug abuse, and collapsed marriages involving people who had witnessed
7700-521: The Sheffield area were advised to seek treatment for their injuries at hospitals nearer to their homes. On 19 April, the death toll reached 95 when 14-year-old Lee Nicol died in hospital after being taken off life support. The death toll reached 96 in March 1993, when artificial feeding and hydration were withdrawn from 22-year-old Tony Bland after nearly four years, during which time he had remained in
7840-503: The United States). Historically, tracks were covered by a dirt running surface. Modern All-weather running tracks are covered by a synthetic weather-resistant running surface, which typically consists of rubber (either black SBR or colored EPDM granules), bound by polyurethane or latex resins. Older tracks may be cinder -covered. The facilities can be called track and field stadiums or athletics stadiums. A standard indoor track
7980-472: The accuracy of that initial opinion." Popper had excluded the witness evidence of two qualified Merseyside doctors (Drs Ashton and Phillips) who had been inside the stadium on the day and who had been critical of the chaotic emergency response. The views of both were dismissed by the Taylor report. They both gave evidence at the 2016 Warrington inquests . Phillips stated that the exclusion of their evidence
8120-525: The age of 30 onwards. As a result, numerous age categories have been created to encourage younger and older athletes to engage in competition. At international level, there are three major categories for young athletes: under-23 , under-20 (formerly junior), and under-18 (formerly youth). Beyond international rules, different youth categories are in use in the sport, often in the form of two-year or single age groupings. Age categories are more extensive for older athletes and these are commonly organised under
8260-507: The case re-opened. In 1997 Lord Justice Stuart-Smith concluded that there was no justification for a new inquiry. Private prosecutions brought by the Hillsborough Family Support Group against Duckenfield and his deputy Bernard Murray failed in 2000. In 2009 a Hillsborough Independent Panel was formed to review the evidence. Reporting in 2012, it confirmed Taylor's 1990 criticisms and revealed details about
8400-486: The circumstances of individual cases. Families believed that Popper was 'too close' to the police. After the verdicts Barry Devonside, who had lost his son, witnessed Popper hosting a celebration party with police officers. One of the individual cases where the circumstances of death were not fully resolved was that of Kevin Williams, the fifteen-year-old son of Anne Williams . Anne Williams, who died in 2013, rejected
8540-460: The cities of Liverpool, Sheffield, and Nottingham. The Liverpool F.C. donation was the amount the club would have received (as its share of the match income) had the semi-final gone ahead as planned. Within days, donations had passed £1 million, swelled by donations from individuals, schools and businesses. Other fundraising activities included a Factory Records benefit concert and several fundraising football matches. The two teams involved in
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#17327871612408680-581: The competitions in athletics, and hosts the Paralympic Games , which have continued since 1960 . Competitors at elite level competitions, are classified by disability, to arrange athletes with a similar disability in the same event. A classified T12 athlete for example, is a track athlete with a visual impairment. Operating independently of the Paralympic movement, deaf athletes have a long-established tradition of organised athletics, with
8820-535: The coroner's decision that the Hillsborough victims, including her son, had died before 3:15 pm, citing witness statements that described him showing signs of life at 4:00 pm. She unsuccessfully appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in 2009. The Hillsborough Independent Panel considered the available evidence and stated that "the initial pathologist's opinion appeared definitive, but further authoritative opinions raised significant doubts about
8960-1033: The cost of maintaining a stadium with 500 or more spectators was too high. The Roger Bannister running track is part of the Iffley Road Sports Complex, which in turn is part of Oxford University Sport. Oxford University Sport also runs the Marston Road Sports Grounds, the University Parks Sports Grounds and the University Sports Centre. Athletics (sport) Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running , jumping and throwing . The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field , road running , cross-country running , and racewalking . The results of racing events are decided by finishing position (or time, where measured), while
9100-447: The creation of numerous competitive categories, in order that athletes are pitted against rivals of a similar kind or ability, and to include groups of people who would otherwise not be competitive in open-to-all events. The eligibility of athletes for a given category is occasionally a source of controversy among the sport's participants, officials and spectators, with disputes typically being rooted in deliberate cheating in order to gain
9240-494: The crush, and that supporters were not to blame for the dangerous conditions. Public anger over the actions of their force during the second inquests led to the suspension of the SYP chief constable , David Crompton, following the verdict. In June 2017, six people were charged with offences including manslaughter by gross negligence , misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice for their actions during and after
9380-406: The difficulty of determining the exact performance advantage provided by a given condition, and the moral risk of "gender-engineering" by setting a biological definition for a female athlete. Age is a significant determiner of ability to compete in athletics, with athletic ability generally increasing through childhood and adolescence, peaking in early adulthood, then gradually declining from around
9520-500: The disaster inspired him to lead the team he supported as a boy and become a top professional football player. The oldest person to die at Hillsborough was 67-year-old Gerard Baron, an older brother of former Liverpool player Kevin Baron . Stephen Whittle is considered by some to be another victim of Hillsborough, as due to work commitments, he had sold his ticket to a friend (whom he and his family chose not to identify), who then died in
9660-554: The disaster is the deadliest in British sporting history. Ninety-four people died on the day; one more died in hospital days later, another in 1993, and in 2021, a 97th who had suffered irreversible brain damage on the day. The match was abandoned and restaged at Old Trafford in Manchester on 7 May 1989; Liverpool won and went on to win that season's FA Cup . In the following days and weeks, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) fed
9800-472: The disaster, Kelly backed all-seater stadiums, saying "We must move fans away from the ritual of standing on terraces". Standing on terraces and the use of perimeter fencing around the pitch, the use of CCTV , the timing of football matches and policing of sporting events were factors for a subsequent inquiry to consider. UEFA President Jacques Georges caused controversy by describing the Liverpool supporters as "beasts", wrongly suggesting that hooliganism
9940-539: The disaster. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped all charges against one of the defendants. Hillsborough Stadium had been constructed in 1899 to house Sheffield Wednesday . It was selected by the Football Association (FA) as a neutral venue to host the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs. Kick-off was scheduled for 3:00 pm on 15 April 1989, and fans were advised to take up positions 15 minutes beforehand. At
10080-603: The disaster; the resulting feeling of survivor guilt is believed to be the main reason he took his own life at age 50 in February 2011. The majority of victims who died were from Liverpool (38) and Greater Merseyside (20). A further 20 were from counties adjacent to Merseyside. An additional three victims came from Sheffield with two more living in counties adjacent to South Yorkshire. The remaining 14 victims lived in other parts of England. Of those who died, 79 were aged under 30, 38 of whom were under 20, and all but three of
10220-844: The distance running discipline, also forms a significant portion of a number of other organised sports, most notable the triathlon family of sports and modern pentathlon . In both cases, the rules of the sport broadly mirror those of World Athletics, but the details are set by the international federation of the sports themselves. Track and field competitions emerged in the late 19th century and were typically contested between athletes who were representing rival educational institutions , military organisations and sports clubs . Participating athletes may compete in one or more events, according to their specialities. Men and women compete separately. Track and field comes in both indoor and outdoor formats, with most indoor competitions occurring in winter , while outdoor events are mostly held in summer . The sport
10360-588: The division to raise questions of fairness in competition. The dispute reached new heights in 2019 with the United Nations Human Rights Council issuing a statement that the IAAF was breaching "international human rights norms and standards" through its practice of allowing some athletes to compete in the women's division only once they had lowered their testosterone levels through medical intervention. The IAAF and several prominent women athletes, such as Paula Radcliffe , said this
10500-405: The eighth anniversary of the disaster – it was reported he had emerged from the condition and was able to communicate using a touch-sensitive pad, and he had been showing signs of awareness of his surroundings for up to three years before. Devine died in 2021, as a consequence of the injuries sustained at Hillsborough, with his death being ruled by the coroner to have been an unlawful killing, raising
10640-417: The elite racers consistently beat the runners on foot. The speed of wheel chair racers has caused difficulties for race organisers in properly staggering their start times compared to runners. A collision between Josh Cassidy (a wheelchair racer) and Tiki Gelana (a leading female marathoner) at the 2013 London Marathon brought the issue into the spotlight again. Occasionally, athletes with a disability reach
10780-489: The emergency response appeared in the media. Their views were not "a maverick view from a disaffected minority but the considered opinion of the majority of professionals present from the outset." Condolences flooded in from across the world, led by the Queen . Other messages came from Pope John Paul II , US President George H. W. Bush , and the chief executive of Juventus (fans of Liverpool and Juventus had been involved in
10920-506: The events. The lingering effects of the disaster were seen as a cause, or contributory factor, in all of these. In total, ninety-seven people died as a result of injuries incurred during the disaster. Ninety-four people, aged from 10 to 67 years old, died on the day, either at the stadium, in the ambulances, or shortly after arrival at hospital. A total of 766 people were reported to have suffered injuries, among whom 300 were hospitalised. The less seriously injured survivors who did not live in
11060-407: The extent of police efforts to shift blame onto fans, the role of other emergency services and the error of the first coroner's inquests. The panel's report resulted in the previous findings of accidental death being quashed, and the creation of new coroner's inquests. It also produced two criminal investigations led by police in 2012: Operation Resolve to look into the causes of the disaster, and by
11200-495: The fencing by the weight of the crowd behind them. People entering were unaware of the problems at the front of the pens; police or stewards would normally stand at the entrance to the tunnel and, if the central pens reached capacity, they would direct people to the side pens, but that did not happen on this occasion, for reasons not fully explained. The match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest started at 3:00 pm, as scheduled. Fans were still streaming into pens 3 and 4 from
11340-405: The field to gain the attention of referee Ray Lewis , who stopped the match at 3:05:30. At this point, people were climbing the fence at the front of the pens in an effort to escape the crush and get to the pitchside. A small gate in the fence had been forced open and some fans managed to escape via this route, while others continued to climb over the fencing. Some were pulled to safety by people at
11480-511: The first athlete to publicly fail the test in 1967 and the humiliation she suffered as a result of the announcement led to sex tests becoming a confidential process. Hurdler Maria José Martínez-Patiño failed a test and was disqualified in 1985, but publicly fought the ban in court and was reinstated in 1988. In 1991, the IAAF replaced the sex chromatin test with general medical tests for athletes of all divisions, due to changes in ethical and scientific viewpoints. The question of eligibility for
11620-580: The first international Stoke Mandeville Games were organized for World War II veterans. This only included athletes in a wheelchair . This inspired the first Paralympic Games , held in 1960. Competitions would over time be expanded to include mainly athletes with amputation , cerebral palsy and visual impairment , in addition to wheelchair events. World Athletics, the sport's governing body, defines athletics in six disciplines: track and field , road running , race walking , cross country running , mountain running , and trail running . Mountain running
11760-543: The first major world competition being included at the 1924 Deaflympics . The primary impediments to the inclusion of deaf athletes in mainstream athletics are sound based elements of the sport, such as the starter's pistol . This can be a disadvantage even in Paralympic sport, as shown in by the example of Olivia Breen who failed to hear a false start in a cerebral palsy class race at the 2012 Paralympics. In wheelchair racing athletes compete in lightweight racing chairs. Most major marathons have wheelchair divisions and
11900-451: The first team to finish. Hurdling events and the steeplechase are a variation upon the flat running theme in that athletes must clear obstacles on the track during the race. The field events come in two types – jumping and throwing competitions. In throwing events, athletes are measured by how far they hurl an implement, with the common events being the shot put , discus , javelin , and hammer throw . There are four common jumping events:
12040-478: The front of the upper tier of the West Stand above the Leppings Lane terrace. The intensity of the crush broke more crush barriers on the terrace. Holes were made in the perimeter fencing by fans desperately attempting to rescue others. The crowd in the Leppings Lane terrace spilled onto the pitch, where the many injured and traumatised fans who had climbed to safety congregated. The football players were ushered to their dressing rooms and informed that there would be
12180-556: The governance of World Athletics. The International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) governs high-altitude mountain running, defined as skyrunning , and is affiliated with the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation rather than World Athletics. Competitive stair climbing events, usually hosted in skyscrapers , has two common names: vertical running (as described by the ISF) and tower running (as described by
12320-487: The grassroots of track and field. Road running competitions are running events (predominantly long distance) which are mainly conducted on courses of paved or tarmac roads , although major events often finish on the track of a main stadium . In addition to being a common recreational sport , the elite level of the sport – particularly marathon races – are one of the most popular aspects of athletics. Road racing events can be of virtually any distance, but
12460-913: The introduction of the metric system into the sport. Athletics competitions were held about 1812 at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , and in 1840 in Shrewsbury , Shropshire at the Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt. The Royal Military Academy at Woolwich held an organised competition in 1849, and a regular series of closed meetings open only to undergraduates, was held by Exeter College, Oxford , from 1850. The annual Wenlock Olympian Games , first held in 1850 in Wenlock , England, incorporated athletics events into its sports programme. The first modern-style indoor athletics meetings were recorded shortly after in
12600-410: The jumps and throws are won by the athlete that achieves the highest or furthest measurement from a series of attempts. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most common types of sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes' performances for
12740-475: The layout at the Leppings Lane end, dividing the terrace into three separate pens to restrict sideways movement. This particular change, and other later alterations to the stadium, invalidated the stadium's safety certificate which was not renewed, and the stated capacity of the stadium was never changed. The terrace was divided into five pens when the club was promoted to the First Division in 1984, and
12880-444: The match off-air he had suggested a nearby cameraman look as well. "There's gaps, you know, in parts of the ground. Well, if you look at the Liverpool end, to the right of the goal, there's hardly anybody on those steps... that's it. Look down there." A bottleneck developed outside the stadium, with more fans arriving than could be safely filtered through the turnstiles before the 3:00 pm kick-off . People presenting tickets at
13020-514: The men's division, the development of the women's division has caused regular dispute in terms of eligibility. Several intersex athletes had success in the women's division in the early 20th century, such as Stanisława Walasiewicz and Mary Weston (later Mark), and the IAAF responded by introducing sex verification for all athletes in the women's category, beginning with the disqualification of sprinter Foekje Dillema in 1950 after she refused to be tested. Olympic champion Ewa Kłobukowska became
13160-545: The most common and well known are the marathon , half marathon , 10 km and 5 km . The marathon is the only road running event featured at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics and the Summer Olympics , although there is also an annual IAAF World Half Marathon Championships . The marathon is also the only road running event featured at the World Para Athletics Championships and
13300-544: The most prominent part of major athletics championships and many famous athletes within the sport of athletics come from this discipline. Discrete track and field competitions are found at national championships -level and also at annual, invitational track and field meets . Meetings range from elite competitions – such as those in the IAAF Diamond League series – to basic all comers track meets , inter-sports club meetings and schools events, which form
13440-507: The name to the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001, moving away from its amateur origins, before taking on its current name World Athletics in 2019. The Comité International Sports des Sourds had been formed by 1922, to govern international deaf sports, including athletics. The first organized international competitions for athletes with a physical disability (not deaf) began in 1952, when
13580-533: The officers who had been present at the disaster. Trevor Hicks, whose two daughters had been killed, described the verdicts as 'lawful' but 'immoral'. Popper's decision regarding the cut-off time was subsequently endorsed by the Divisional Court who considered it to have been justified in the light of the medical evidence available to him. Relatives later failed to have the inquests reopened to allow more scrutiny of police actions and closer examination of
13720-406: The pens, some believing this to be a pitch invasion. At approximately 3:04 pm, a shot from Liverpool's Peter Beardsley hit the crossbar ; possibly connected to the excitement, a surge in pen 3 caused one of its metal crush barriers to give way. Police superintendent Roger Greenwood (the most senior SYP officer in command inside the ground on the day) realised the situation, and ran onto
13860-461: The pitch. This indecision migrated to the first responders waiting in ambulances at the CRP, which quickly deteriorated into an ambulance car park . Some crews were hesitant to leave their vehicles, unsure of whether patients were coming to them, or vice versa. Others who did leave their vehicles were then faced with the obstacles inherent in placing distance between themselves and their equipment. As
14000-629: The press false stories suggesting that football hooliganism and drunkenness by Liverpool supporters had caused the disaster. Blaming Liverpool fans persisted even after the Taylor Report of 1990, which found that the main cause was a failure of crowd control by SYP. Following the Taylor Report, the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled there was no evidence to justify prosecution of any individuals or institutions. The disaster led to
14140-444: The race because of the gusting wind, however, just before the race, the wind dropped and Bannister decided to compete. He arranged for Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher to be the pacemakers , with the first three-quarters of a mile to be run in under three minutes. After Chataway and Brasher fell off, Bannister then went on to complete the final lap in less than a minute and broke the world record, collapsing when he finished. It
14280-473: The race. Racewalking finds its roots in the sport of pedestrianism which emerged in the late 18th century in England. Spectators would gamble on the outcome of the walking competitions. The sport took on an endurance aspect and competitions were held over long distances or walkers would have to achieve a certain distance within a specified time frame, such as Centurion contests of walking 100 miles (160 km) within 24 hours. During this period, racewalking
14420-421: The rear entrance tunnel as the match began. For some time, problems at the front of the Liverpool central goal pens went largely unnoticed except by those inside the pens and a few police at that end of the pitch. Liverpool's goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar later reported that fans behind him were pleading to him for help as the situation worsened. At first, the police made attempts to stop people from spilling out of
14560-404: The safe passage of supporters into the ground, but the request to delay the kick-off by 20 minutes was declined. By this time, an estimated 5,000 fans were trying to enter through the turnstiles. Amid increasing safety concerns, and to avoid fatalities outside the ground, the police opened a large exit gate (Gate C) that ordinarily permitted the free flow of supporters departing the stadium after
14700-554: The safety of athletes and enjoyment for spectators. At a more basic level, many forms of athletics demand very little in terms of venue requirements; almost any open space or area of field can provide a suitable venue for basic running, jumping and throwing competitions. A standard outdoor track is in the shape of a stadium , 400 metres in length, and has at least eight lanes 1.22 m in width (small arenas might have six lanes). Older track facilities may have nonstandard track lengths, such as 440 yards (402.3 m; 1/4 mile) (common in
14840-450: The safety of crowds penned within fences, including that "all exit gates should be manned at all times ... and capable of being opened immediately from the inside by anyone in an emergency". Hillsborough hosted five FA Cup semi-finals in the 1980s. During the 1981 semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers , a crush occurred at the Leppings Lane end of the ground after hundreds more spectators were permitted to enter
14980-572: The scholastic level, particularly in the United Kingdom and United States. At the professional level, the foremost competitions come under the banner of the IAAF Cross Country Permit Meetings . While cross country competitions are no longer held at the Olympics, having featured in the athletics programme from 1912 to 1924, it has been present as one of the events within the modern pentathlon competition since
15120-518: The semi-final match to Duckenfield, who had never commanded a sell-out football match before, and who had "very little, if any" training or personal experience in how to do so. As is common practice at domestic football matches in England, opposing supporters were segregated in and around the stadium. Nottingham Forest were allocated the South Stand and Spion Kop , with a combined capacity of 29,800 spectators, reached by 60 turnstiles spaced along
15260-637: The semi-final of the 1981 FA Cup. The Leppings Lane end of the ground did not hold a valid safety certificate at the time of the disaster; it had not been updated since 1979. Risks associated with confining fans in pens were highlighted by the Committee of Inquiry into Crowd Safety at Sports Grounds (the Popplewell inquiry) after the Bradford City stadium fire in May 1985. It made recommendations on
15400-561: The situation inside the stadium. A total of 42 ambulances arrived at the stadium. Two ambulances managed to make their way onto the pitch of their own accord, and a third entered the field at the direction of deputy chief ambulance officer Alan Hopkins, who felt its visibility might allay crowd concerns. The remaining 39 ambulances were collectively able to transport approximately 149 people to either Northern General Hospital , Royal Hallamshire Hospital , or Barnsley Hospital for treatment. The adverse comments of two doctors regarding
15540-403: The south and east sides of the ground. Liverpool were allocated the North Stand and West Stand, with a combined capacity of 24,256 spectators, reached by 23 turnstiles from a narrow concourse off Leppings Lane. Ten turnstiles (numbered 1 to 10) provided access to 9,700 seats in the North Stand, six turnstiles (numbered 11 to 16) provided access to 4,456 seats in the upper tier of the West Stand, and
15680-661: The sport of athletics, or its member continental and national federations. The athletics meeting forms the backbone of the Summer Olympics and most other major multi-sport events . The foremost international athletics meeting is the World Athletics Championships , which incorporates track and field, marathon running and race walking. Other top level competitions in athletics include the World Athletics Indoor Championships , World Athletics Cross Country Championships and
15820-584: The stadium in the past. In October 1988 a probationary PC in Mole's F division, South Yorkshire was handcuffed, photographed, and stripped by fellow officers in a fake robbery, as a hazing prank. Four officers resigned and seven were disciplined over the incident. Chief Superintendent Mole himself was to be transferred to the Barnsley division for "career development reasons". The transfer was to be done with immediate effect on 27 March 1989. Meanwhile, Hillsborough
15960-429: The stadium that were seriously injured were to be delivered expeditiously by police and paramedics to the CRP to receive medical attention. The system of ferrying injured from any location within the stadium to the CRP required a formal declaration to be made by those in charge for it to take effect. As this declaration was not immediately performed, there was confusion among those attempting to administer aid on
16100-496: The target of breaking the four-minute mile barrier. At the time Bannister was a 25-year-old full-time medical student at St Mary's Hospital Medical School . He could only train for 45 minutes a day for the event. The opportunity to break the record came on 6 May 1954, when Bannister was competing in an event for the Amateur Athletic Association against Oxford University. Bannister was going to withdraw from
16240-558: The term described athletic contests in general – i.e. sporting competition based primarily on human physical feats. In the 19th century, the term athletics acquired a more narrow definition in Europe and came to describe sports involving competitive running, walking, jumping and throwing. This definition continues to be prominent in the United Kingdom and the former British Empire . Related words in Germanic and Romance languages also have
16380-472: The terrace than could safely be accommodated, resulting in 38 injuries, including broken arms, legs and ribs. Police believed there would have been a real chance of fatalities had swift action not been taken, and recommended that the club reduce its capacity. In a post-match briefing to discuss the incident, Sheffield Wednesday chairman Bert McGee remarked: "Bollocks – no one would have been killed". The incident nonetheless prompted Sheffield Wednesday to alter
16520-460: The thirty-day meeting included running and stone-throwing among its sporting events. The original and only event at the first Olympics in 776 BC was a stadium-length running event known as the stadion . This later expanded to include throwing and jumping events within the ancient pentathlon . Athletics competitions also took place at other Panhellenic Games , which were founded later around 500 BC. The Cotswold Olympic Games ,
16660-401: The time of the disaster most English football stadiums had high steel fencing between the spectators and the playing field in response to pitch invasions . Hooliganism had affected the sport for some years and was particularly virulent in England. From 1974, when these security standards were put in place, crushes occurred in several English stadiums. A report by Eastwood & Partners for
16800-444: The total death toll of the disaster to 97. Two sisters, three pairs of brothers, and a father and son were among those who died, as were two men about to become fathers for the first time: 25-year-old Steven Brown of Wrexham and 30-year-old Peter Thompson of Widnes . Jon-Paul Gilhooley, aged 10, was the youngest person to die. His cousin, Steven Gerrard , then aged 8, went on to become Liverpool F.C.'s captain. Gerrard has said
16940-686: The track to convert the track to a synthetic track, and it opened on 4 May 1977, and was again resurfaced in 1989. By 2005, the track again was of poor quality. Two years later Lord Coe , the Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, opened the newly refurbished running track on 10 May 2007. The running track was renamed the Roger Bannister running track. Coe said "It
17080-401: The two standing-only central pens within the Leppings Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. Shortly before kick-off, police match commander David Duckenfield ordered exit gate C to be opened in an attempt to ease crowding, which led to an influx of supporters entering the pens. This resulted in overcrowding of those pens and the fatal crush; with a total of 97 fatalities and 766 injuries,
17220-691: The typically individual sport of road running. Cross country running is the most naturalistic of the sports in athletics as competitions take place on open-air courses over surfaces such as grass , woodland trails, and earth . It is both an individual and team sport , as runners are judged on an individual basis and a points scoring method is used for teams. Competitions are typically long distance races of 3 km (1.9 mi) or more which are usually held in autumn and winter. Cross country's most successful athletes often compete in long-distance track and road events as well. The Crick Run in England in 1838
17360-502: The umbrella of masters athletics , which has age groups spanning five years for all athletes aged 35 and above. There is no limit to the number of age groupings, hence Stanisław Kowalski holds a world record for men aged 105 years and over. For competitions where age is not taken into account, this is known as senior or open class athletics; in international rules there remain some restrictions on younger people competing in endurance events for health reasons . Athletes' eligibility for
17500-399: The victims were aged under 50. Inquests into the deaths were opened and adjourned immediately after the disaster. Resumed on 19 November 1990, they proved to be controversial. South Yorkshire coroner Stefan Popper limited the main inquests to events up to 3:15 pm on the day of the disaster – nine minutes after the match was halted and the crowd spilt onto the pitch. Popper said this
17640-467: The women's division continued to be a contentious and public issue into the 21st century, with Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand bearing periods of ineligibility and taking the IAAF to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over their bans under the hyperandrogenism rules. An increasing number of trans men and trans women began to compete in the women's division in the 2010s, which caused other athletes in
17780-553: The women's event was first held in 1992. The most common events in modern competition are over 10 km, 20 km and 50 km on roads, although women's 3 km and men's 5 km are held on indoor tracks. The highest level racewalking competitions occur at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics and at the Summer Olympics, although the sport also has its own separate major competition –
17920-435: The wrong turnstiles, and those who had been refused entry, were blocked from leaving because of the crowd behind them and remained as an obstruction. Fans outside the ground could hear cheering as the teams came onto the pitch ten minutes before the start of the match, and as the match kicked off, but could not gain entrance. A police constable radioed control requesting that the game be delayed, as had happened in 1987, to ensure
18060-453: Was a 'serious error of judgement' by Popper. He said that he 'could not fathom why he didn't call us, other than he specifically did not want to hear our evidence, in which case the first inquests were coloured and flawed before they even started'. Ashton and Phillips were not the only doctors present at the disaster not to be called to give evidence to the Popper inquests. The only one called
18200-423: Was accepted as the FA Cup semi-final venue on 20 March 1989 by the Football Association. The first planning meeting for the semi-final took place on 22 March and was attended by newly promoted Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, not by Mole. No known minutes exist of this meeting. Although Mole could have been assigned the semi-final match's planning despite his transfer, that was not done. This left planning for
18340-464: Was added in 2003 and trail running was added in 2015. All forms of athletics are individual sports with the exception of relay races . However, athletes' performances are often tallied together by country at international championships, and, in the case of cross country and road races, finishing positions or times of the top athletes from a team may be combined to declare a team victor. Several further forms of competitive running exist outside of
18480-434: Was announced to the cheering crowd that Bannister had recorded a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. Six runners took part and the full placings at the event were: 1, Roger Bannister ( AAA ) (world record) 2, Christopher Chataway (AAA) (4 minutes and 07.2 seconds) 3, Tom Hulatt (AAA) (4 minutes and 16.0 seconds) 4, Alan Gordon (Oxford University) 5, George Dole (Oxford University) 6, Christopher Brasher (AAA). A third member of
18620-478: Was because the victims were either dead, or brain dead, by 3:15 pm. The decision angered the families, many of whom felt the inquests were unable to consider the response of the police and other emergency services after that time. The inquests returned verdicts of accidental death on 26 March 1991, much to the dismay of the bereaved families, who had been hoping for a verdict of unlawful killing or an open verdict, and for manslaughter charges to be brought against
18760-498: Was built on clay and often flooded, or became unusable due to the wet conditions. The university later decided to build a new running track at Iffley Road . Building work began on the one-third of a mile (536 metres) track in September 1876 by the contractor Mr Hobdell. The ground was leased from Christ Church . The building work was finished two days before the first meeting, on 29–30 November 1876. In 1948, Roger Bannister , then
18900-479: Was frequently held on athletics tracks for ease of measurement, and the 1908 Summer Olympics in London saw the introduction of the 3500-metre and 10-mile walks. Racewalking was briefly dropped from the Olympic programme in 1928 , but the men's 50 kilometres race walk has been held at every Olympic Games but one since 1932. The men's 20 kilometres race walk was added to the Olympic athletics schedule in 1956 and
19040-425: Was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and it has been as one of the foremost competitions at the quadrennial multi-sport event ever since. Originally for men only, the 1928 Olympics saw the introduction of women's events in the athletics programme. Athletics is part of the Paralympic Games since the inaugural Games in 1960 . Athletics has a very high-profile during major championships, especially
19180-409: Was required in order to prevent a situation where countries deliberately sought out athletes who were intersex, transgender or had a difference in sex development in order to succeed in women's sport. Others have argued for the abolition of gender verification testing, with academic Maren Behrensen citing the harm to tested athletes' social and emotional well-being, the inaccuracy of the medical tests,
19320-589: Was the Sheffield Wednesday club doctor. After the disaster, Lord Justice Taylor was appointed to conduct an inquiry into the events. The Taylor Inquiry sat for a total of 31 days (between 15 May and 29 June 1989) and published two reports: an interim report (1 August 1989) which laid out the events of the day and immediate conclusions; and a final report (19 January 1990) which outlined general recommendations on football ground safety. The two publications together became known as
19460-493: Was the cause of the disaster, which had occurred less than four years after the Heysel Stadium disaster. His remarks led to Liverpool F.C. calling for his resignation, but he apologised on discovering hooliganism was not the cause. At the 1989 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and local rivals Everton , held just five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, the players from both participating teams wore black armbands as
19600-633: Was the first recorded instance of an organised cross country competition. The sport gained popularity in British, then American schools in the 19th century and culminated in the creation of the first International Cross Country Championships in 1903. The annual IAAF World Cross Country Championships was inaugurated in 1973 and this remains the highest level of competition for the sport. A number of continental cross country competitions are held, with championships taking place in Asia , Europe , North America and South America . The sport has retained its status at
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