why do they still use a starting pistol sound to start running events in the olympics when many other sports use a beep or tone of some kind?
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Historical tradition is the main reason why they’re still used, despite the advancements in technology that have reduced it to more of a prop
They do use a beep, it’s just activated by a gun. It’s to keep the random element in the system, as it’s activated by a human. It could be replaced by someone pressing a button, but then there is also the historical aspect with the gun to take into account. And if there is one thing the Olympics like, it’s the historical image.
Probably tradition, but when I did athletics at school in the 1970s thy still used starting pistols.
One reason I believe, is that the officials timing events were located at the finish line. Even for an event such as the 100m, it still took some time for the sound to travel to the timekeepers. They didn’t listen out for the sound of the gun, instead they looked for the puff of smoke from the gun as their signal to start timing.
Nowadays with digital timing systems, the starting pistol is a relic.
Also: smoke
You see smoke much sooner than you hear the report. It’s now less for runners and more for spectators, but I remember in high school when races were still hand-timed. In the 100m, the timer is by the finish line, but the gun is at the start. The person timing the race was looking for the smoke to start the clock, not the gunshot report.
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