The results of racing events are decided by finishing position (or time, where measured), while the jumps and throws are won by the athlete that achieves the highest or furthest measurement from a series of attempts. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most common types of sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes' performances for a team score, such as cross country.

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• From the firing of the starter’s gun to breasting the finishing tape, an athlete is expected to adhere strictly to some basic rules like he/she must always start behind the start line and must remain in lane throughout the race.
• Jumping the gun can lead to disqualification from the game. Running before the starter’s gun is fired is declared as a “false start” and can eventually lead to disqualification, if the runner faults twice. Sometimes, athletes are warned before being disqualified.
If a runner tries to impede a fellow athlete’s progress by blocking, shoving or interfering to gain unfair advantage, he/she is disqualified from the game.
• In shorter events such as in 800 meters race, athletes should stay inside the lane. In longer events, they are allowed to move to the innermost lanes with a condition that they should not touch the other participants.
• In throwing events like javelin, hammer throw and short put, an athlete is expected to aim farther than anybody else. Just like the jumping events, only the longest throw counts here.

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