 The sport of track and field has its roots in human prehistory . Track and field @-@ style events are among the oldest of all sporting competitions , as running , jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression . The first recorded examples of organized track and field events at a sports festival are the Ancient Olympic Games . At the first Games in <unk> BC in <unk> , Greece , only one event was contested : the stadion <unk> . The scope of the Games expanded in later years to include further running competitions , but the introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step towards track and field as it is recognized today — it comprised a five @-@ event competition of the long jump , javelin throw , discus throw , stadion <unk> , and wrestling . 
