1 | 8th May 1993 | UL | Plassey | View | 2 | 15 | Combined Events Championships were introduced by the IUAA in 1993. At these first championships the 'Classic' Pentathlon for men was contested - Long Jump, Javelin Throw, 200 m, Discus Throw and 1500 m. These events were the pentathlon disciplines contested in Olympic Games from 1906 [the Intercalated Games, Athens] through 1924 [VIII Summer Olympiad, Paris]. In the United States, this version of the pentathlon was contested as an Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] Championship event until 1978. With the formation of the Athletics Congress [TAC] [now USA Track & Field - USATF] that year, the pentathlon was dropped as a national championship event. The last National AAU Pentathlon Championships was held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1978. A different combination of disciplines is still used today in high schools' track and field in the USA. In essence it is a smaller version of the decathlon or the heptathlon. For boys, the events are 110 m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump and a 1500 m run. For girls, the disciplines are 100 m hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump, and an 800 m run. At the 1993 AGM of the IUAA, a decision was taken to use these disciplines for the IUAA Combined Events Championships for men and women, respectively. Since 1994 these events have remained the Pentathlon disciplines contested at the IUAA Outdoors Combined Events Championships and at the Indoor Combined Events Championships since their introduction at the 2002-03 Championships [60 m hurdles and a 1000 m run for men instead of 1500 m]. From academic year 1992-93 through 1997-98, the Combined Events Championships were held separately from the Outdoors Track & Field Championships. Since academic year 1998-99 at the Outdoors Track & Field Championships at Mary Peter's, Belfast, Combined Events Championships have been held conjointly with the Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The principal reason for this change was to revitalise participation in combined events due to the drop-off in numbers competing in the separate Combined Events Championships. While there is still a separate Outdoors Combined Events Team Trophy, the individual Pentathlon became a scoring event in both the Indoors and Outdoors Track & Field Team Competitions for men and women from season 2002-2003. The Team Event is decided on the combined scores of three athletes from a College - either the point scores of two men and one women or of two women and one man. |