- On June 11, 2012, the International Association of Athletics Federations has announced the addition of a new member of the IAAF Hall of Fame, the Cuban Alberto Juantorena.
- On June 3, 2012, the International Association of Athletics Federations has announced the addition of three new members of the IAAF Hall of Fame, the Americans Michael Johnson and Dan O'Brien and Babe Zaharias.
- On May 17, 2012, the International Association of Athletics Federations has announced the addition of a new member of the IAAF Hall of Fame, the Polish Irena Szewinska.
- The edition 2012 of Golden Gala, was held in Rome May 31 at the Olympic Stadium. Usain Bolt (champion and world record holder and Olympic champion) won the 100 meters against Asafa Powell (former world record sprint distance) and Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre, with the new World Leading 9.76.
- The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2012. A total of 22,426 runners started the race. The competition was held in hot running conditions, reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31° celsius) that afternoon, and some of the 27,000 registered runners opted to take up the organizers' offer to defer their entry until the 2013 race. Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop won the elite men's and women's races respectively. Josh Cassidy and Shirley Reilly were the winners of the wheelchair racing section.
- 2012 IAAF Diamond League will start in May 11 from Doha, Qatar. In this competition, each one of the thirty-two disciplines (sixteen for male athletes, sixteen for females) is staged a total of seven times during the season. The top three athletes at each meeting are awarded points, and in the case of the Final meeting of the discipline the points are doubled. The athlete with the highest number of points in each discipline at the end of the season wins "The Diamond Race". For an athlete to win "The Diamond Race" and its associated prize, he/she must compete in the Final of their event discipline.
- The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of four IAAF World Athletics Series events in 2012, which includes the World Race Walking Cup, the World Junior Championships and the World Half Marathon Championships.