2008 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 2008 in athletics

International events

 * 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China
 * African Championships, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 * European Cup, super league held in Annecy, France
 * World Indoor Championships, held in Valencia, Spain
 * Golden League, held in various venues
 * World Athletics Final, held in Stuttgart, Germany
 * World Cross Country Championships, held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
 * World Road Running Championships, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * World Junior Championships, held in Bydgoszcz, Poland

Deaths

 * June 9 &mdash; Peter Rwamuhanda (54), Ugandan hurdler (b. 1953)
 * December 22 &mdash; Jani Lehtonen (40), Finnish pole vaulter (b. 1968)