Machine Guides

Game History

Track & Field is a 1983 Olympic-themed sports video game developed and published by Konami for arcades. Originally released in Japan as Hyper Olympic with an official license for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the game was initially launched in Europe under the same title before being re-released as Track & Field in early 1984. The game was introduced at Tokyo's Amusement Machine Show in September 1983 and became a commercial success, selling 38,000 arcade hardware units in Japan by the end of 1983 and becoming one of the most successful arcade games of 1984.

The game featured six Olympic events—100m dash, long jump, javelin throw, 110m hurdles, hammer throw, and high jump—where players competed by alternately pressing two "run" buttons as quickly as possible and using an "action" button for event-specific actions. Notably, the game's control configuration was unusual for its time, with single-player mode using the right set of controls rather than the left. The game's intense button-pushing gameplay led players to use various tricks to achieve higher speeds, resulting in frequent button damage that prompted Konami to release modified versions with trackball controls in later units.

The game also made history as the largest organized video game competition ever recorded, with the "1984 March of Dimes International Konami/Centuri Track & Field Challenge" attracting over a million contestants between April and May 1984.  The franchise continued with sequels including Hyper Sports and International Track & Field (released as Hyper Athlete in Japan for arcades in 1996).

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of Track & Field is to achieve the best possible performance in six Olympic events by meeting or exceeding qualification standards. You compete against computer-controlled opponents and the clock to qualify for each event. The game emphasizes rapid button pressing and precise timing to simulate athletic performance.

Controls

• Run Buttons: Two buttons that you press alternately to make your athlete run
• Action Button: Press to perform event-specific actions such as jumping or throwing

Gameplay

1. Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your Olympic competition.

2. Event Selection: Progress through six events in sequence: 100m dash, long jump, javelin throw, 110m hurdles, hammer throw, and high jump.

3. Running Mechanics: Press the two run buttons alternately as quickly as possible to build speed for running events and build power for throwing and jumping events.

4. 100m Dash: Alternate pressing the run buttons to sprint to the finish line as quickly as possible.

5. Long Jump: Alternate run buttons to build speed, then press the action button to set your jump angle and perform the jump.

6. Javelin Throw: Alternate run buttons to build power, then press and hold the action button to set your throw angle and release to throw the javelin.

7. 110m Hurdles: Alternate run buttons to sprint and press the action button at the right moment to clear each hurdle.

8. Hammer Throw: Alternate run buttons to spin and build power, then press the action button at the optimal moment to release the hammer.

9. High Jump: Alternate run buttons to build speed, then press the action button to jump and time your release to clear the bar.

10. Qualification Standards: Meet or beat the qualification time/distance for each event to advance to the next event and continue your competition.