When it comes to sports betting, athletics offers multiple betting opportunities with multiple events taking place in a single completion. The most prestigious athletics competition is the IAAF World Championships. The event is held every two years and is organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations, better known as the IAAF. While the World Champs is a fairly new completion, the idea was first put forward back in 1913.
A Biannual Athletics Event
At the time the IAAF decided that the Olympic Games would adequately serve as the basic format for the athletics World Championships. For fifty years, the Olympic Games were deemed suitable until many IAAF members expressed their desire to have their own Athletics competition separate from the Olympics. In 1976, the IAAF held a council meeting where the split was eventually approved. Bids to hold the first World Championships came in from all over the world including West Germany, Finland and Helsinki.
The First Athletics World Champs
The inaugural Athletics World Championships was awarded to Helsinki and took place in 1983 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, a former site for the 1952 Olympics. The first World Champs attracted 1300 athletes from 154 countries. By 2003, the number had grown to 1907 athletes from no less than 202 countries and broadcast to over 179 different stations around the world. Over the years, there have been many chances in the composition of the even with new events added with each passing year.
Athletics Betting Events
For online betting purposes, there are many events where bettors can place straight win bets using mobile betting apps as well as individual and exotic bets. Some of the most exciting events held at the athletics World Championships include:
- Javelin Throw – This is an athletic event where athletes toss a long cylindrical spear across the field. The winner is the athlete that throws the furthered over a set of heats.
- 100-meter sprint – The 100 meter sprints is possibly the most famous sprinting race in athletics. It sees athletes sprinting across a distance of 100 meters in a time of under 10 seconds.
- Discus Throw – The discus throw is an event where athletes toss a flat metal disk across the field. The format consists of a single qualifying round with the top 12 going through to compete in the finals.
- High Jump – The High Jump event is popular with both men and woman. This event sees athletes hurtling over a raised bar that increases in high as the completion progresses.
- Long Jump – The long Jump event is a mixture between a sprint and jump event. The aim is for an athlete to run and jump from a set line into a sand pit. The winner is the athlete that jumps the furthest over a set of qualifying heats.
- 4 x 100m Relay – The 100-meter relay is also one of the most popular events at the athletics World Championships. The event combines 100m sprint with a total of four athletes in each team. Spaced 100 meters apart, the athletes race around the track handing a baton to the next sprinter who passes it on at the changeover.