In 2012 the foremost competition in
athletics was the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London. The
International Association of Athletics Federations held four other global level competitions in 2012: the
2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of four ...
,
2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup
The 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Saransk, Russia, on 12–13 May 2012.2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born 1993 or later) which was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on 10–15 ...
and the
2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
For the first time since 1945, there was no global level championship for
cross country running, as the
IAAF World Cross Country Championships moved to a biennial format. Three of the major continental championships were held a month prior to the London Olympics: the
2012 African Championships in Athletics
The 2012 African Championships in Athletics was held at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo, Benin from 27 June to 1 July 2012. It was the first time that Benin had hosted the event.
Medal summary Men
Women
Medal table
Participatin ...
,
2012 European Athletics Championships
The 2012 European Athletics Championships were held in Helsinki, Finland between 27 June and 1 July 2012. This edition marks the beginning of a new two-year cycle of the European Athletics Championships which were previously held every four years. ...
and
2012 Oceania Athletics Championships
The 2012 Oceania Athletics Championships were held at the Barlow Park in Cairns, Australia, between June 27–29, 2012.
Medals are awarded in the two regional divisions "East" and "West".
A total of 40 events were contested, 20 by men and 20 by ...
.
The
Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...
entered its third year as the foremost seasonal
track and field series.
Major events
World
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Olympic Games
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World Indoor Championships
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World Race Walking Cup
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World Half Marathon Championships
*
Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...
*
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
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World Junior Championships
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World Mountain Running Championships
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WMA World Masters Indoor Championships
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FISU Cross Country Championships
The Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, en, International University Sports Federation) is responsible for the organization and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 2 ...
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IAU 24 Hour World Championships
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IAU 100 km World Championships
Regional
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African Championships
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African Cross Country Championships
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Asian Indoor Championships
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Asian Junior Championships
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Asian Cross Country Championships
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Asian Race Walking Championships
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Oceania Athletics Championships
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European Athletics Championships
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European Cross Country Championships
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European Cup Winter Throwing The European Throwing Cup (until 2016 European Cup Winter Throwing) is an annual continental athletics competition for athletes specialising in the events of discus, javelin and hammer throwing and the shot put. The winter event, organised every ...
*
European Mountain Running Championships
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Ibero-American Championships
The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: ''Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-spea ...
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NACAC Cross Country Championships
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NACAC Under-23 Championships
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CAC Junior Championships
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CARIFTA Games
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South American U23 Championships
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South American Youth Championships
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South American Cross Country Championships
Marathons
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Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
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London Marathon
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Berlin Marathon
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Chicago Marathon
World records
Men
Women
Notes
Season's bests
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† = Russia's
Darya Pishchalnikova had a throw of 70.69 m, but was annulled after she later failed a drug test.
Awards
Men
Women
References
{{Years in Athletics
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Athletics (track and field) by year