WIn 2012 the foremost competition in athletics was the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The International Association of Athletics Federations held four other global level competitions in 2012: the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics and the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
WThe 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.
WThe 2012 Arab Junior Athletics Championships was the fifteenth edition of the international athletics competition for under-20 athletes from Arab countries. It took place between 16–19 May at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan. It was the first time that Jordan hosted the event. A total of 42 athletics events were contested, 21 for men and 21 for women. The men's 10,000 metres and women's 5000 metres were dropped from the programme for this edition.
WThe 2012 Asian Junior Athletics Championships was the 15th edition of the international athletics competition for Asian under-20 athletes, organised by the Asian Athletics Association. It took place from 9 to 12 June at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka – the same venue hosted the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships. Thirty-four nations took part in the event and over five hundred athletes participated. A total of 44 events were contested, with the events being evenly split between the genders.
WThe 2011–12 Australian Athletics Championships was the 90th edition of the national championship in outdoor track and field for Australia. It was held from 13–15 April 2012 at the Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne. It served as a selection meeting for Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The 10,000 metres event took place separately at the Zatopek 10K on 10 December 2011 at the same venue.
WThe 2012 Balkan Athletics Indoor Championships was the 17th edition of the annual indoor track and field competition for athletes from the Balkans, organised by Balkan Athletics. It was held on 18 February at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. The competition was the first international event to be hosted at the newly-constructed Ataköy Athletics Arena, following the Turkish Indoor Athletics Championships in January and preceding the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships held in March. It also marked the re-launch of the Balkan Indoor Championships under the aegis of Turkey – the Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association had organised the event up to 2009 but the 2010 and 2011 championships were cancelled due to funding issues stemming from the Greek government-debt crisis.
WThe 2012 British Indoor Athletics Championships was the sixth edition of the national championship in indoor track and field for the United Kingdom. It was held from 11–12 February 2012 at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield, England. A total of 24 events were contested over the two-day competition. It served as a selection meeting for the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
WThe 2012 British Athletics Championships was the national championship in outdoor track and field for athletes in the United Kingdom, held from 22–24 June at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. It was organised by UK Athletics. It served as a selection meeting for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
WThe 2012 CARIFTA Games were held in the Bermuda National Stadium in Hamilton, Bermuda between April 6—9, 2012, the fourth time in which the event was held in Bermuda. The other years being 1975, 1980, 2004. A detailed analysis of the results and an appreciation of the games has been given elsewhere.
WThe 19th Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships were held in the Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González in San Salvador, El Salvador, between 29 June and 1 July 2012. The event was open for athletes from the invited countries, that are members of the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC), in two categories : Junior A Category: 18 to 19 years as of 31 December 2012, and Junior B Category: 14 to 17 years as of 31 December 2012. By IAAF standards, Junior A is equal to Junior, while Junior B is equal to Youth.
WThe 23rd Central American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio de Atletismo del Instituto Nicaragüense de Deportes in Managua, Nicaragua, between June 15-17, 2012.
WThe 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.
WThe 2012 European Cross Country Championships was the 19th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes which was held in Szentendre, Hungary on 9 December.
WThe 2012 European Cup Winter Throwing was held on 17 and 18 March at the Stadion Topolica in Bar, Montenegro. It was the twelfth edition of the athletics competition for throwing events and was jointly organised by the European Athletic Association and the Athletic Federation of Montenegro. The competition featured men's and women's contests in shot put, discus throw, javelin throw and hammer throw. In addition to the senior competitions, there were also under-23 events for younger athletes. A total of 294 athletes from 39 European countries entered the competition.
WThe eighteenth European Masters Athletics Championships were held in Zittau, Germany, Zgorzelec, Poland and Hrádek nad Nisou, Czech Republic, from August 16–25, 2012. The European Masters Athletics Championships serve the division of the sport of athletics for people over 35 years of age, referred to as masters athletics.
WThe 2012 Finnish Athletics Championships was the 105th edition of the national outdoor track and field championships for Finland. It took place from 23 to 26 August 2012 at Lahti Stadium in Lahti.
WThe 2012 French Athletics Championships was the 124th edition of the national championship in outdoor track and field for France. It was held on 15–17 June at the Stade du Lac de Maine in Angers. A total of 38 events were contested over the three-day competition.
WThe 2012 French Indoor Athletics Championships was the 41st edition of the national championship in indoor track and field for France, organised by the French Athletics Federation. It was held on 25–26 February at the Jean-Pellez Stadium in Aubière. A total of 26 events were contested over the two-day competition.
WThe 2012 German Athletics Championships were held at the Lohrheidestadion in Bochum-Wattenscheid on 16–17 June 2012.
WThe 2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations. It was held at the Polideportivo Máximo Viloria in Barquisimeto, Venezuela between 8–10 June. Twenty-five nations and a total of 398 athletes participated at the competition.
WThe 2012 IPC Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe. It was held in Stadskanaal, Netherlands and lasted from 23 to 28 June. The event was held in the Stadskanaal Stadium and was the last major European disability athletics event before the forthcoming 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. Approximately 550 athletes from 38 countries attended the games. Several countries used the Championships to finalise the remaining places for the Paralympics.
W2012 Italian Athletics Indoor Championships was the 43rd edition of the Italian Athletics Indoor Championships and were held in Ancona.
WThe 96th Japan Championships in Athletics were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka. Organised by JAAF, the three-day competition took place from June 8–10 and served as the national championships in track and field for the Japan. The competition was for the qualifying trial for the Japan team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
WThe 2012 Leeward Islands Junior Championships in Athletics took place on June 9–10, 2012. The event was held at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Ground in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Detailed reports were published.
WThe 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held at the Centro Paralímpico Nacional in Irapuato, Mexico from 6 to 8 July. It was the seven edition of the biennial athletics competition for NACAC area athletes under 23 years of age. A total of 44 track and field events were contested, divided evenly between the sexes. It was the third time that Mexico had hosted the event, having done so in 2000 and 2008.
WThe 2012 Oceania Athletics Championships were held at the Barlow Park in Cairns, Australia, between June 27–29, 2012.
WThe athletics competitions at the 2012 Olympic Games in London were held during the last 10 days of the Games, on 3–12 August. Track and field events took place at the Olympic Stadium in east London. The road events, however, started and finished on The Mall in central London.
WAthletics events at the 2012 Summer Paralympics were held in the Olympic Stadium and in The Mall in London, United Kingdom, from 31 August to 9 September 2012.
WThe 2012 South American Cross Country Championships took place on March 4, 2012. The races were held at the Escuela de Equitación del Ejército in Lima, Perú. A detailed report of the event was given for the IAAF.
WThe 21st South American Youth Championships in Athletics were held at the Parque San Martín in Mendoza, Argentina between October 26–28, 2012. A detailed discussion of the results was given elsewhere.
WThe 2012 South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in São Paulo, Brazil, at the Estádio Ícaro de Castro Melo from 22 to 23 September 2012. They were the 5th edition of the competition, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. A detailed report on the results was given. Brazilian shot putters Geisa Arcanjo who achieved 18.43m in the women's event, and Darlan Romani who achieved 19.93m in the men's event, were awarded the title for the best performance of the event.
WThe 2012 Thorpe Cup was held at the Georg-Gaßmann-Stadion in Marburg on 21–22 July 2012.
WThe 2012 United States Olympic Trials for track and field were held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Organized by USA Track and Field, the ten-day competition lasted from June 21 until July 1 and served as the national championships in track and field for the United States.
WThe 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Kavarna, Bulgaria on 6 October 2012.
WThe 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 IAAF World Athletics Series events in 2012, which includes the World Race Walking Cup, the World Junior Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships.
WThe 14th World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors which was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on 10–15 July 2012. A total of 44 athletics events were contested at the championships, 22 by male and 22 by female athletes.
WThe 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup was held in Saransk, Russia, on 12–13 May 2012. The track of the Cup runs in the central streets of the city. Detailed reports on the event and an appraisal of the results was given for the IAAF.