USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
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| Sport | Track and field |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Country | United States |
| Related competitions |
U.S. Olympic Trials |
| Official website | USATF Official website |
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since 1992, in years which feature a Summer Olympics or a World Championships in Athletics, the championships serve as a way of selecting the best athletes for those competitions.
The history of the competition starts in 1876, when the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) decided to organize a national championships. Having previously held the NYAC Spring and Fall Games, the seventh edition of the Fall Games became the country's first national track and field championships. The National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAAA), began sponsoring the meeting in 1879, and organised the championships up to 1887. At this point, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), a more powerful athletic organisation, began to hold their own version of the national championships. Two national championships were held in 1888, but the NAAAA disbanded after this. The AAU was the sole organizer of the event for the next ninety years.
As a result of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU no longer had power over Olympic sports in the United States. A spin-off group, The Athletics Congress, held its first national track and field championships in 1980. The Athletics Congress was renamed USA Track & Field in 1993, and they have organized the annual championships ever since.
The following athletics events are currently featured on the national championships' program:
In earlier editions before 1974, running distances were often measured in yards. All races were in yards until 1928. From then on, races were measured in meters for Olympic years and yards for other years, except 1933 to 1951 inclusive and 1959.
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