Image source, AFP

While we are waiting for the off, let me bring you news of events earlier today.

The big news was that France's Jimmy Vicaut, the only man in the field to have gone sub-10 this season and one of the favourites for the men's 100m final tonight, has pulled out with a thigh injury that brings his season to an end.

Sophie Hitchon of Great Britain also bid farewell to the Championships having failed to qualify for the hammer final.

Mr Magyar says that he still hopes to bring the evening programme to a close on time. It seems unlikely, but when a Swiss man talks timetables, who am I to start disagreeing?

Patrick Magyar, CEO of the European Athletics Championships: "We have a procedure in place for such a moment like this, and we considered there was a danger to the athletes because of the wind.

"We decided to postpone the competition by 30 minutes, so we should start imminently now and we'll try to squeeze it all in. The wind shouldn't pick up, it should slowly drop over the next hour and a half. We hope the 100m final will take place on the time, that's the last event of the day and hopefully we will have caught up by then. It's a tremendous challenge for the officials.

"The higher up you are, the more wind gusts you feel and we have had a couple of panels blown away behind the stadium. The wind speed was up to 90kmph and we can't put anyone at risk."

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer in Zurich

"The wind may just be dying down a little - officials are now raising the supports for the pole vault and taking the plastic tarp off the mat. Either that or the supports have just blown over, and the mat blown off. Let's go with the former."

The pole vault mat has been peeled back. I'm not sure that the decathletes due to take part in that will be full of enthusiasm with the wind still whipping about, but we are still on target for a 17:30 BST start.

As if to underline Denise Lewis's point, we have seen a clip of gazebo shelter cartwheeling across the practice track sending Christine Ohuruogu, among others, scurrying for cover.

Lucky Cooly the Cow, official mascot of the event, is on hand to lighten the mood. Nothing gets that fella down. Except maybe a dose of foot and mouth.

Image source, EPA

Denise Lewis
Olympic heptathlon gold medallist and BBC Sport athletics expert

On the weather conditions in Zurich: "It doesn't feel safe. We're sitting up here and having to wince. It looks quite dangerous out there, it may be delayed further."

"A delay like this disrupts everybody, especially the athletes. They've timed their warm-up to perfection and are ready to go. But you saw how dangerous it can be there with what happened on the warm-up track."

Taking Gabby Logan's hair as a barometer, it is only getting blowier out in Zurich. So far though, we are still expecting to get under way at 17:30 BST. The people filing into their seats certainly seem to be working to that schedule.

The revised timetable is as follows:

19:05 BST: Great Britain's Mo Farah in the 10,000m final

19:45 BST: Women's 100m final (probably) featuring the modern-day flying Dutchwomen, Fanny Blankers-Koen reborn, Dafne Schippers.

20:10 BST: Women's 100m hurdles final featuring former GB captain Tiffany Porter and French rival Cindy Billaud.

20:15 BST: Men's 100m final featuring an Anglo-French Battle Royale with Brits James Dasaolu and Dwain Chambers looking to upset Jimmy Vicaut and Christophe Lemaitre.

Britain's 10,000m champion Jo Pavey on BBC Two: "I feel like I can really enjoy my running. I wish a long time ago I'd realised that by keeping busy it would help me. When I finally have a chance to rest-up before a big race, I feel as though I really benefit from it. At one stage, I was down the track running the most horrendously slow times but I kept plugging away at it.

"I feel fortunate to be on the team with the young athletes, we're all encouraging each other and it's still fun to be part of it at this stage."

There is something about Pavey's story that has struck a chord back home. She features on the front....

Image source, The Times

...and back pages of many of the papers this morning, as well as getting Twitter love from the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill, external and Dai Greene., external

Image source, Daily Express

Image source, PA

In her post-race interview, Pavey came across like a Sunday morning plodder as she claimed that she was worried because 10,000m "felt like a long way".

She has been a little bit more bullish this morning, telling BBC Radio 5 live that she fully believes that a bid for an Olympic medal at Rio 2016, when she will be 42, is an option for her.

Image source, EPA

'Tough' doesn't automatically equate to moody. It isn't always sullen, scarred stares down the camera. It doesn't have to mean muscles and machismo.

Jo Pavey's iron will is hidden behind the hustle and bustle of the school run, under a pile of nappies, in amid a packed family diary. The 40-year-old mother-of-two won her first championship gold in last night's 10,000m final with a run as gritty as sandpaper.

If you haven't seen it yet, you really ought to.

There will be another inspection of conditions at 17:00 BST so we should have an update, for better or worse, fairly soon.

In the world of television, this is where the director usually reaches for the emergency Last of the Summer Wine reel.

Image source, Getty Images

But On BBC Two they have sensibly gone for a review of last night's action...

Steve Backley
Four-time European champion and BBC Sport athletics expert

"The meeting that Paula mentions, I was competing in it in the javelin and I was in the lead when the wind whipped up and the high jump mat came flying across. To be honest, I was quite happy, because it was straight into our faces and it meant no-one could catch me for the rest of the competition."

Paula Radcliffe
Marathon world record holder and BBC Sport athletics expert

"It's not the first time it's happened. Back in 1989, I think it was in Zurich, the wind was so strong, it blew the high jump mat into the middle of the 1500m race."

Denise Lewis
Olympic heptathlon gold medallist and BBC Sport athletics expert

"A delay is the last thing the athletes need. It's not easy having to hang around, knowing when to warm up, when to start your preparations, but they just have to deal with it."

"I've never witnessed anything like this. Normally, delays are because of rain but this time it's wind. It's incredible."

Instead, up in the BBC commentary box, discussion is centred on which event is most treacherous in high wind (pole vault it turns out) and who has the most wind resistant hairdo (Denise Lewis by unanimous vote).

It is blowing a hooley out in the the Swiss capital and the action has been suspended until at least 17:30 BST to keep athletes and spectators safe.

The man below is bringing in a flag rather than clinging to the roof for dear life after being picked up by a twister.

Image source, Getty Images

But it is not far off that.

Right about now the decathlon field should be flexing off their javelin-throwing arms in the middle of the Letzigrund Stadium, Britain's Sebastian Rodger should be lining up in lane three for the first of three 400m hurdles semi-finals and the crowd should be shuffling into position for the start of the second evening's action at the European Championships.

None of the above is true.