Athletics at the Summer Olympics includes contests for athletics.
Athletics at the Summer Olympics . The modern program includes track and field events , road running events , and racewalking events . Racewalking , or race walking , is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics . Road running . These events are usually classified as long-distance according to athletics terminology , with races typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon . Track and field is a sport which includes athletic contests established on the skills of running , jumping , and throwing . Track and field is categorised under the umbrella sport of athletics , which also includes road running , cross country running , and race walking .