athletics vs athletic contest

athletics and athletic contest both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
athletics	Yes	No	No	No
athletic contest	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, athletics and athletic contest are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of athletics include athletic competition.

athletics (noun)	athletic contest (noun)
an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition	a contest between athletes
participation in sports events as an extracurricular activity
a contest between athletes