The organization was originally established on 11 September 1922 in Zagreb, as Jugoslavenski atletski savez or JAS for short (French: Fédération yougoslave d'athlétisme), and its first president was Veljko Ugrinić as the umbrella organization for the sport of athletics in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (officially styled "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" from 1918 to 1929).

That same year, four regional sub-associations were established in major urban areas (Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Vojvodina) and a fifth was added in the early 1930s, in Split.

In 1938 the name was reverted to JAS, and briefly between mid-1939 until the collapse of the country in 1941 it was called Atletski savez Kraljevine Jugoslavije (ASKJ).

The first Yugoslav Olympians in athletics were Peroslav Ferković, Đuro Gašpar, Veljko Narančić, Stanko Perpar, and Aleksa Spahić, who competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris in the decathlon, pentathlon, shot put, discus throw, and 200 metres events.

Following the outbreak of World War II and the April 1941 invasion of Yugoslavia the newly installed authorities of the Nazi-allied NDH regime in Zagreb shut down the organization.

Around that time it was also decided to replace a single centralized body with national sports federations, so on 4 July 1948 the new ASJ (Atletski savez Jugoslavije) was re-established, headquartered in Belgrade.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s athletics becomes one of the main sports promoted by the government, with mass games and cross country running becoming the most popular events.