Athletics, Badminton, Gymnastics, Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, and Wrestling
INDIVIDUAL GAMES 4 Games and sports are important parts of our lives. They are essential to enjoy overall health and well-being. Sports and games offer numerous advantages and are thus highly recommended for everyone irrespective of their age. Sports with individualistic approach characterised with graceful skills of players are individual sports. Do you like the idea of playing an individual sport and be responsible for your win or loss, success or failure? There are various sports that come under this category. This chapter will help you to enhance your knowledge about Athletics, Badminton, Gymnastics, Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, and Wrestling. ATHLETICS Running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal forms of human physical expression. Track and field events are the improved versions of all these. These are among the oldest of all sporting competitions. Athletics consist of track and field events. In the track events, competitions of races of different distances are conducted. The different track and field events have their roots in ancient human history. History Ancient Olympic Games are the first recorded examples of organised track and field events. In 776 B.C., in Olympia, Greece, only one event was contested which was known as the stadion footrace. The scope of the games expanded in later years. Further it included running competitions, but the introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step towards track and field as it is recognised today. There were five events in pentathlon namely—discus throw, long jump, javelin throw, the stadion foot race, and wrestling. 2021-22 Chap-4.indd 49 31-07-2020 15:26:11 50 Health and Physical Education - XI Track and field events were also present at the Pan- Activity 4.1 Athletics at the 1960 Summer Hellenic Games in Greece around 200 B.C.
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