Day 3 - Let the rains begin....

Well, the rain is officially back, and ponchos are the fashion style of the day. Unlike some sports where a bit of rain means a cancellation or at the very least a delay, the Athletics Championships are like the famed postman, going on through rain, sleet or snow. Luckily there were no events scheduled for this morning/afternoon, but the evening is not looking like a lot of fun... especially for the field workers:



With the women's 400 meter and men's 1,500 meter semi-finals, and the women's 100 meter and men's 10,000 meter finals tonight, the starting & timing systems will get a solid workout in the rain. In order to ensure that the electronic sound of the starting pistol is heard at the exact same time by everyone in the stadium (athletes, visitors, etc.), about 15 speakers have been placed around the stadium in various locations. There are even 2 speakers behind the starting blocks, so the athletes can be sure to hear the gun, and jump out of the blocks at exactly the same time:



In the rain, there wasn't much else to do today except check out the VIP Hospitality tent. I had high hopes for the buffet, however, I was sadly disappointed. I'm not sure if the food shown below is properly representative of a Finnish buffet, however, perhaps it helps explain why most people here are quite skinny...



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