MODULE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION 103

Athletics, Games, and Sports

LESSON 1: Historical Background of the Game

D. DISCUSSION/ACTIVITY/EXERCISES

Direction: Research the following Era which shows the historical background of the
game. Reference must indicate after the answer.

THE ANCIENT GREEKS

The first Olympics in ancient Greece go back at least as far as the eighth or ninth
century B.C. While such sports as boxing and equestrian events were included, most of
the events were those now classified under athletics or track and field. They included
running, jumping, discus and the javelin. Those four, plus wrestling, made up the
pentathlon. The running events included "stades," which were essentially sprints from
one end of the stadium to the other, a distances of about 190 meters; two-stade races;
longer-distance races of between seven and 24 stades; and a two- or four-stade race in
which the competitors wore armor.
Reference: Roland, J. (2018) https://www.sportsrec.com/types-track-field-events-
6735782.html

The Ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honor
of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were
held in Olympia, a rural sanctuary site in the Western Peloponnesos. The Greeks that
came to the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke
the same language. The athletes were all male citizen of the city-states from every corner
of the Greek world, coming from far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and Black sea
(Turkey) in the east. The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympus, the
highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympus was home of
the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses. The ancient Olympic games began in the
year 776 BC, when Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis, won the stadion race, a
foot race 600 ft. long. According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic
event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals or until 724 BC. From 776 BC, the
Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries.
Reference: Pennmuseum, 2020
https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml

THE MODERN OLYMPICS

Running and other athletic events have long been a part of many cultures, but in
the 19th century, such activities were becoming more popular, particularly in Europe
and the United States. School curricula included athletics and in 1896, the first Modern
Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. Events included the 100-meters, 400 meters,
800 meters, 1,500 meters, 110-meter hurdles, pole vault, discus, shot put, javelin, long
jump, triple jump and high jump. Fourteen nations were represented.
Reference: Roland, J. (2018) https://www.sportsrec.com/types-track-field-events-
6735782.html

GROWTH OF ATHLETICS
After the 1896 Olympics, the popularity of athletics, or rather, a revival of athletic
competition, took place around the world. National athletics federations from 17
countries got together to form an international governing body and in 1912, the
International Amateur Athletic Federation was born. For many years, the pinnacle of
athletics competition was the Summer Olympics. But in the 1970s, more world
championships in various events began to take place, helping to maintain interest in
track and field every year.
Reference: Roland, J. (2018) https://www.sportsrec.com/types-track-field-events-
6735782.html

21st CENTURY ORGANIZATION

By 2011, nearly 50 outdoor and 25 indoor events fall under the IAAF’s authority
and rules. Some events, such as the 50-meter sprint, are no longer part of major athletic
competitions, but remain part of school programs. Some events have been modified
through the years and races of many varying distances are contested every year. In
addition to the 26.2 miles of the marathon, there is a 13.1-mile half-marathon. There are
men’s and women’s competitions in almost every event. Men, however, can compete in
the 10-event decathlon, while women have the seven-event heptathlon.
Reference: Roland, J. (2018) https://www.sportsrec.com/types-track-field-events-
6735782.html
 LESSON 2: Types of Events and Basic Skills in Athletics

C. DISCUSSION/ D. ACTIVITIES/ EXERCISES

Activity 1. What are the types of events in athletics? Use the table to answer the
question. Give at least ten (10) events.
Type of Events in Athletics Brief Description
Races over short distances are sprints. It is focused on reaching the
maximum speed and covering short distances as quickly as possible.
Sprints There are three sprinting events that occur in the Olympics and
outdoor World Championships: the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400
meters
Races with obstacles or hurdles are under this category. Popular
events in the Olympics that come under the category are 100m
Hurdling
hurdles for Women, 110m hurdles for men, and 400m hurdles in both
sexes. Also, some American competitions include 300m hurdles.
The triple jump event has a similar setup as that of the long jump. The
only change is 2 steps that the athlete takes before jumping into the
Triple Jump pit. The process includes hop, step and jump. Standing triple jump is
very uncommon from the competitive perspective but has seen some
usage as drills in other sports.
The athletes run a short run-up and take off to jump over a horizontal
High Jump bar to land on a cushioned bed on the other side. The height of the
bar is recorded as the registered height jumped by the athlete.
The athlete runs down a strip of track, plants the pole in a metal box,
and vaults over a horizontal bar at certain height before letting go of
the pole and falling backwards onto landing mattresses. While earlier
Pole Vault
versions used metal, wooden or bamboo, the modern poles are
generally made from artificial materials such as carbon fiber or
fiberglass.
The round shot styled ammunition used for the sport, hence the term
Shot put shot put. The athlete throws a 16 pound (7.26kg) (4kg for women)
shot put from within a circular area of 7feet diameter.
A heavy disc takes place of the spherical shot put in this event. The
Discus Throw
disc is 2kg and 22cm in diameter.
A short run-up to the foul line and then the athlete releases the
javelin. The current javelin specifications are 2.2 to 2.3 m and 600 g
Javelin Throw
for women and 2.6 to 2.7 m in length and 800 grams in weight for
men.
A metal ball weighing 16 pounds (4kg for women) is attached to a
Hammer Throw wire measuring 1.175m-1.215m. This is rotated and thrown in a
direction angled within 34.92 degrees.
This is one of the most unique events in athletics. Race Walking is the
kind of foot-race in which one foot should be in contact with the floor
at all times. The race judges who are on the sidelines for the same are
Race Walking responsible for the assessment. The two racewalking distances
contested at the Summer Olympics are the 20 kilometres race walk
(men and women) and 50 kilometres race walk (men only).
Activity 2. What are the basic skills in athletics? To answer the question, use the given
Graph below.

WALKING
RUNNING
Basic Skills
in Athletics

JUMPING THROWING

Activity 3. Perform the basic skills in athletics in any place that you are comfortable
and SAFE! Take documentation of it. Indicate the name of every skill that you are going
to do.

(VIDEO PRESENTATION)
E. EVALUATION/ POST TEST

Test-I. TRUE or FALSE

1. TRUE 6. FALSE 11. TRUE

2. TRUE 7. FALSE 12. FALSE

3. TRUE 8. TRUE 13. TRUE

4. FALSE 9. TRUE 14. TRUE

5. FALSE 10.TRUE 15. TRUE

Test-II. IDENTIFICATION

Direction: Identify each event if where they belong to. Write only the word TRACT or
FIELD.

1. FIELD 11. FIELD

2. TRACT 12. TRACT

3. TRACT 13. TRACT

4. TRACT 14. FIELD

5. FIELD 15. FIELD

6. TRACT 16. TRACT

7. FIELD 17. FIELD

8. FIELD 18. TRACT

9. FIELD 19. TRACT

10. TRACT 20. TRACT AND FIELD

Test III. ESSAY TYPE

Direction: Answer the question below. Write your own perception about it. Your answer
must greater than five (5) sentences. (5pts)

1. What is the importance of basic skills in Athletics?

For me, learning basic skills in athletics are very important for every athlete
because it is the first step towards attaining specific skills for athletic games. Since it was
called basic skills, it means that every athlete must have that kind of skills before
engaging in athletics. Understanding and mastering basic skills help us in many ways.
First, it helps us to fit ourselves in any kind of games. Second, if we have such skills we
are able to enjoy and win in the competition. Lastly, we can use it on our daily activity
and also for personal purposes. The basic skills in Athletics are very necessary in any
situation such as jumping, throwing, running and walking. Just always remember that
learning, practicing and mastering the basic skills of athletics is the first step in the
process. And athletes do not fail because their skill level is poor; they fail because their
ability to perform the skill in competition conditions is poor.