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A ten-year-old with a Junior Olympic medal around her neck in the August heat. A high school senior refreshing the state meet heat sheets. A college sprinter warming up under the stands at Hayward Field. An Olympian chasing Diamond League points across three continents. Every one of them competes inside a web of track and field organizations, and knowing who runs what makes it much easier to find a meet, a team or a path to the next level. Here is the map, from World Athletics down to your local youth club, as of the 2026 season.
For the sport at every level, see our track and field hub. Road racing organizations, parkrun and the marathon majors are on our running organizations page.
World Athletics: the international body
World Athletics, founded in Stockholm in 1912, governs track and field, road running, cross country, race walking and trail running worldwide through 214 member federations. It writes the Competition and Technical Rules, approves shoes and implements, ratifies world records and runs the World Athletics Championships. The next edition is in Beijing, September 11–19, 2027. In September 2026 it launched a new event, the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest (September 11–13). It’s invitation-only for Olympic and world champions, Diamond League winners and the year’s top-ranked athletes, with a $10 million prize pot and $150,000 for each individual winner.
The Wanda Diamond League: the pro circuit
Track has no team league like the NBA. Pros are sponsored athletes who race a season of invitational meets, and the top tier is the Wanda Diamond League. In 2026 it had 14 qualifying meetings: Doha, Shanghai, Xiamen, Rabat, Rome, Stockholm, Oslo, Paris, Eugene (the Prefontaine Classic, the only US stop), Monaco, London, Lausanne, Silesia and Zurich. Athletes earn points at each meeting, and the leaders qualify for the two-day final in Brussels, held September 4–5, 2026. Below the Diamond League, the World Athletics Continental Tour and national meets fill out the calendar.
The Olympics and Paralympics
Athletics is the centerpiece of the Summer Games. The LA28 Olympics run July 14–30, 2028, with track and field in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Paralympics follow August 15–27, 2028. Para athletics is governed worldwide by World Para Athletics. Athletes compete in classes: T for track, F for field, then two digits for the type and degree of impairment (for example, T20/F20 for intellectual impairment). In the US, U.S. Paralympics, part of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), runs national classification and the Paralympic team.
USATF: the US governing body
USA Track & Field, based in Indianapolis, is the national governing body for track and field, running and race walking. It has more than 130,000 members, 56 regional associations and more than 3,000 clubs, and it sanctions more than 8,000 events a year. USATF holds the US indoor and outdoor championships, picks the teams for the World Championships and Olympics (through trials meets), and runs the youth Junior Olympic program. As of 2026, Junior Olympic athletes qualify through association and regional meets, and the 2026 national championships were at Cerritos College in California, July 27–August 2. USATF age groups are 8 and under, 9–10, 11–12, 13–14, 15–16 and 17–18, set by birth year.
AAU: the other big youth program
The Amateur Athletic Union runs a parallel youth track program, from district and regional qualifiers up to the AAU Junior Olympic Games. In 2026 the Games’ track meet was at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, with multi-events on August 1–2 and track and field August 3–8. AAU divisions are single years from 9 to 14 (plus 8 and under, 15–16 and 17–18), and the top eight in each event earn All-American honors. Many families do both programs; our youth track and field page compares the events and implement weights by age.
High school: NFHS and state associations
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) writes the high school rules, and each state association runs its own season and championships. Track is huge: in 2024–25 it was the most popular girls’ sport (513,808 athletes) and the second for boys (644,235), behind football. The NFHS added javelin specifications to its 2026 rulebook because 21 state associations now hold the event. States still differ on events, qualifying and the number of events per athlete, so the state manual is the document to read.
College: NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA
- NCAA: indoor and outdoor championships in Divisions I, II and III. For 2025–26 the NCAA projected 306 men’s and 355 women’s outdoor teams in Division I, and 883 men’s and 973 women’s teams across all three divisions. The 2026 Division I outdoor championships were held June 10–13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Under the 2025 House settlement, Division I schools that opted in replaced scholarship caps with roster limits, reported as 45 per team in track and field.
- NAIA: smaller colleges with their own indoor and outdoor nationals. The 2026 outdoor championships (the 74th for men, 45th for women) were May 20–22 at UNC Asheville in North Carolina, which hosts again in 2027.
- NJCAA: two-year colleges, a common route for athletes who need time to develop or to get their grades in order. The 2026 Division I outdoor championships were May 14–16 at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs.
Recruiting timelines and what coaches look for are on our youth page.
Masters and adult track
Under World Athletics rules, masters athletes are 35 and older, and masters competition is organized with World Masters Athletics. In the US, USATF clubs and associations hold masters meets and championships, and many tracks host summer all-comer meets where anyone can sign up on the day. If you’re returning after years away, our track and field training page and HRV for athletes help you build back without pulling a hamstring.
Gear for the season
Whatever level you compete at, a good pair of spikes and honest timing help. The Nike Rival Sprint is an affordable sprint spike with six replaceable spikes (about $72). The Garmin Forerunner 570 (about $550) tracks training load and recovery for middle-distance runners. For sprint timing in practice, the Freelap Timing Pack 112 (about $535 and up at Freelap USA) times splits with a chip and transmitters, no cables. Prices change often; these are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026.
Garmin Forerunner 570
- GPS, AMOLED, 42 or 47 mm
- Garmin Coach, Training Readiness
- About $550
Freelap Timing Pack 112
- 0.02 s accuracy (maker)
- Chip + 2 transmitters
- iOS / Android app
See the full list on our track and field gear page, wearables on best track and field wearables, and timing tools in our speed training equipment guide.
Track and field organizations questions
Who governs track and field in the United States?
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the national governing body. High schools follow NFHS rules through their state associations, colleges compete under the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA, and Para track is run by U.S. Paralympics within the USOPC.
What is the Diamond League?
The top annual series of one-day meets for professional track and field athletes. In 2026 it had 14 meetings around the world, where athletes earned points to qualify for a final in Brussels on September 4–5.
What’s the difference between AAU and USATF Junior Olympics?
They’re two separate youth programs, each with its own membership, qualifying meets and national championship. USATF uses two-year age groups; AAU uses single-year divisions from 9 to 14. Events and implements are similar but not identical, so check the program’s rules.
How many colleges have track and field teams?
The NCAA projected 883 men’s and 973 women’s outdoor track teams for 2025–26 across Divisions I, II and III. NAIA and NJCAA schools add many more.
When are the next Olympics for track and field?
Los Angeles, July 14–30, 2028, with track and field at the LA Memorial Coliseum, and the Paralympics August 15–27, 2028. Before that come the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, September 11–19, 2027.
Back to the track and field hub, or read the track and field rules these bodies write.