At the Olympics and other World Athletics-sanctioned tournaments, a relay race is an event where a team of four athletes run equal predetermined distances in a sprint race, each passing a rod-like object called the ‘baton’ to the next person to continue the race.

relay race, a track-and-field sport consisting of a set number of stages (legs), usually four, each leg run by a different member of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass on a baton to the next runner while both are running in a marked exchange zone.

Learn how relay races work, from the different distances and formats to the baton exchange and disqualifications. Find out how to run a successful relay race in track and field events.

The first Olympic 4x100m relay for men was held in 1912; the first for women was held in 1928. For many years the men’s event at the Olympics was dominated by the US – who won 15 out of 19 Olympic titles from 1920 to 2000. Jamaica won the 2012 and 2016 Olympic titles.

Running doesn’t necessarily have to be a solo sport. Follow these seven tips to crush your first relay race.

Relay races are a popular discipline in track and field, where a team of runners compete together, passing a baton from one runner to the next. The goal is to complete the race as fast as possible, with each runner covering a specific distance, known as a leg.

A mixed (two men, two women) 4x400m relay featured for the first time at the World Championships in 2019 and was introduced into the Olympic programme at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The USA has historically dominated both the men’s and women’s 4x400m at the Olympics.

Learn about relay running, a team sport in which athletes compete in different distances and exchange a baton. Find out the rules, events and similar sports of relay running.

Learn about relay race, a track and field event in which athletes run a pre-set distance carrying a baton before passing it onto the next runner. Find out the standard relays, the long distance relays and the related pages.