The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα and ἄθλος. Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved. The decathlon is contested mainly by male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon.
The World Athletics U20 Championships is a biennial world championships for the sport of athletics organised by the World Athletics, contested by athletes in the under-20 athletics age category (19 years old or younger on 31 December in the year of the competition.
The NACAC U23 Championships in Athletics is an under-23 athletics competition held between the member associations of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC). Rules and regulations were approved at an extraordinary meeting of the members attending the XVIII Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela held on August 18, 1998. First, the competition was open for athletes aged under-25. The Congress held on the island of Grenada on July 3, 2003, resulted in the reduction of the age limit for its bi-annual championships to athletes under-23 years of age in the year of competition.
The South American U18 Championships in Athletics is a biennial athletics event organized by "Confederación Sudamericana de Atletismo" (CONSUDATLE), the South American area association of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). Starting in 1973, the competition was open for athletes under-17 in the early years. Since 2000 the international age group definition has applied. Up until the 2016 edition the competition was known as the South American Youth Championships in Athletics. The tournament is open for athletes from CONSUDATLE member federations. Athletes from IAAF members of other geographical areas may be invited. However, they are not considered in the classification.
The NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and the team with the most points receives the NCAA team title in track and field. A separate NCAA Division I women's competition is also held. These two events are separate from the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships and NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships held during the winter.
In 2016, the foremost athletics events will be staged at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The two other major global level competitions in 2016 are the World Indoor Championships and World Half Marathon Championships.
The men's decathlon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships was held at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on 25 and 26 August 2023.
