New Delhi. Today is World Athletics Day. Its date changes every year. This time this festival is being celebrated on 7th May. The date on which World Athletics Day will be celebrated is decided by the IAAF (International Amateur Athletic Federation). The International Federation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was formed on July 17, 1912. Its headquarters were earlier located in the capital of Sweden ‘Stockholm’. But, later it was shifted to ‘Monaco’. The main objective of celebrating World Athletics Day is to increase the participation of youth in athletics and to encourage more and more them to come towards it. In addition, it aims to establish athletics as the primary sport in schools and colleges around the world. Significantly, in 2019, the name of the International Federation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was changed to World Athletics.
Celebrating this day started in 1996 in the city of ‘Atlanta’ in America. It was inaugurated by the then Chairman of IAAF Primo Nebbiolo. Presently the Chairman of IAAF is ‘Sebastian Coe’. The World Athletics Championships, to be held every two years, was canceled in 2021 due to the Corona epidemic. Now this championship will be held in July 2022. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has the responsibility of promoting athletics in India. It is also associated with IAAF and Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
The foundation of AFI was laid in 1946 and its objective is to bring students towards athletics from a young age and make them aware so that they can represent India in big events like Olympics, Commonwealth and Asian Games and make the country proud in the world. Can you Let us tell you that athletics basically includes running, jumping, track and field, road running, cross country running, race walking, discus throw, hammer throw, javelin throw, pole vault and marathon etc.