Ancient History In order to understand this sport's past, we need to go back about 2,800 years to ancient Greece. Religious festivals at Olympia provided the opportunity for runners to sprint about the length of a half of a modern track. This flat piece of ground where these races took place was often straight rather than curved and was known as a stadion , giving us the name for the stadiums of today's sporting world. Around 1,700 years later, these ancient Olympic games were no longer allowed in the region. The religious elements of the festivals clashed with the beliefs of the Christian emperor of the time. Although the sport was still practiced to some extent, it would take nearly another 1,500 years until track and field would make a huge comeback in the late 1800s. Growth in the Nineteenth Century The nature of work and play were changing by the nineteenth century. In particular, in the second half of the century, leisure time would get a big boost. Indu...
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