Where should I stand, and when can I start the procedure?

Question

Accepted Answer

Under World Athletics Competition Rule 22 and TR 16: Stand so the whole field falls within a narrow visual angle. For crouch starts you must be able to see that every athlete is steady in the set position before firing. For staggered starts without lane loudspeakers, stand roughly the same distance from every athlete. If you can't, place the gun there and fire it by electric contact. Lane loudspeakers are recommended so every athlete hears the commands and gun at the same time. Give commands clearly so all athletes hear them, but avoid shouting unless you're far away without a PA. Don't start the procedure until the timing team and finish judges are ready, and for races up to 200m, the wind gauge operator. The start coordinator tells you when everything is in order. Fire the gun held upwards. For crouch starts, raise your gun arm when the athletes are steady in their blocks, then say "Set". Don't raise it too early, especially with manual timekeepers. There's no set time between commands: fire once all athletes are motionless in the correct position.