Info about Athletes
Athletes / Athletics – review and detail
An athlete or a jock - is how Americans usually call a sportsperson. The word comes form the Greek "athlos" meaning "contest”. Sports can either be an athlete’s professional occupation or a hobby. Athletes develop the following physical qualities: strength, endurance, and agility. It were ancient Greeks who developed the theory and practice of physical training and worked out a kind of a doctrine for it with a set of rules. This process along with first regulated Olympic Games date back to around 7th century B.C. However people began to contest in athletic activities much earlier – over four thousand years ago. Greeks strived for perfection in both the body and mind. They highly appreciated physique and mainly from aesthetic point of view. Physical exercises rested on strict disciplinary measures. The athlete’s body as well as character, and willpower had to strengthen. Physical training, exercises, and regimen in most areas of life (including food and pleasures) lead to splendid physique.
If a sportsperson is professional in more than one sport discipline he or she is called the “all-around athlete”. Such sportsmen are: Lionel Conacher, Danny Ainge, Jim Thorpe, Bo Jackson and many others. Generally speaking an athlete learns how to jump, run, walk, or throw. Athletic competitions embrace: high jump, long jump, 100 meters, 400 meters, race walking, road running, track and field, cross country running, discus throwing, javelin, and other. Winners of these competitions receive the title of “World’s Greatest Athlete”.
The earliest professional organizations were the New York Athletic Club – started in the U.S. in 1870s, the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) – started in the U.K. in 1880, the Amateur Athletic Union – established in the U.S. in 1888, and the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques - was set up in France in 1889. We also need to mention the European Athletics Association, Asian Athletics Association, and the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association,
The chief organization dealing with and managing athletic events is the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) – established in 1912. The organization is a focal point of top sportive associations and organizations world wide. Over 213 professional entities from America (both North and South), Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania have joint it up to date.
Among the important athletics events are Olympics, World Championships, and other championships including the indoor ones. When the practice of Olympic Games was re-launched in late 1890s, athletics was one of the central sportive disciplines. It was not until the 1920s-1930s that women were admitted for competition. Traditionally the venues for athletic sports have been: (track and field) stadia, outdoor plains, or the set road courses.
Ever since the dawn of athletic practices the physique of sportsmen has been reproduced in cave drawings, sculpture, paining, photography, and cinematography. In Ancient Greek athletics was a cult. This physical beauty is depicted for example in the ancient statue of Discobolus, or many films, among which are: Chariots of Fire, Across the Tracks, Spirit of the Marathon, and other. To watch athletes hasinspired great philosophers: Aristotle and Plato. We also enjoy watching this demonstration of healthy vigor and agility.