Athletics is one of the core sports on the programme for the Gymnasiade, an international multi-sport event organised by the International School Sport Federation (ISF). It has featured at all editions of the competition since 1976. An athletics competition was held the same year as the inaugural , but was held separately at a different location. The event, contested by youth athletes under eighteen years old, was used as a reference point by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) when organising its first IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics in 1999.