What timekeeping display must be visible to everyone, including in the warm-up area, and operate continuously for at least 20 minutes?

• A. Clock displaying elapsed time
• B. Clock displaying time left to enter the next attempts
• C. Timer counting down from five minutes
• D. Digital stopwatch with lap times

Answer: (A)

In this rule, the vital idea is that there needs to be a single, universal reference for how much time has passed during warm-ups. A clock displaying elapsed time does exactly that: it shows how long the warm-up has been running, and it must be visible to everyone, including those in the warm-up area, so all participants and officials stay synchronized. It also has to run continuously for at least 20 minutes to cover the typical duration of a warm-up block, ensuring there’s an uninterrupted time reference throughout the session.

Other displays don’t fulfill this as reliably: a timer that counts down time left to enter the next attempts implies a schedule tied to the next phase rather than the actual warm-up duration; a countdown timer of five minutes rigidly fixes a window that may not match how long warm-ups take; and a digital stopwatch with lap times might work in some contexts but isn’t guaranteed to be visible to everyone or maintained for a full 20 minutes without interruption. The elapsed-time clock that remains visible and continuous best fits the requirement.