Starting device for a competitor in a sports competition

The starting device (1) for a competitor in a sports competition is preferably a starting block device. It includes at least one rear base (2) for fixedly holding the device on a competition surface, at least one detection sensor, such as a force sensor (3, 3'), 5 connected to an electronic processing circuit, and one or two starting blocks (5, 5') for a competitor's foot. Each block is adjustably mounted on a longitudinal bar (10), which is connected to the base and activates the sensor or sensors to determine a response time at the start of the competition. The longitudinal bar (10) is connected to an H shaped structure (4), which includes two strips (14, 24), spaced apart. The ends of the 10 two strips are rigidly connected to an immobile portion (7) of the rear base (2), while a central bar (6) connecting the two strips is secured to the rear end of the longitudinal bar. When a force is applied to the block(s), the central bar (6) can be pushed in a preferred direction via the bending of the two strips to activate the sensor, so as to also determine a response time at the start of the competition. 15 Figure 1 IC~q C)C c'Ji