Olympic-size swimming pool
An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are big enough for international competition. This type of
An Olympic-size swimming pool is used as a colloquial unit of volume, to make approximate comparisons to similarly sized objects or volumes. It is not a specific definition, as there is no official limit on the depth of an Olympic pool. The value has an order of magnitude of 1 megaliter (ML).[1]
Specifications
Physical property | Specified value |
Length | 50 m[2] |
Width | 25 m[2] |
Depth | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) minimum, 3 m (9 ft 10 in) recommended.[2] |
Number of lanes | 10 |
Lane width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
Water temperature | 25–28 °C (77–82 °F) |
Light intensity | minimum 1500 footcandles )
|
Volume | 2,500,000 L (2,500 m3; 88,000 cu ft), assuming a nominal depth of 2 m. About 2 acre-feet. |
There must be two spaces 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide outside lanes 1 and 8 (in effect, two empty lanes).[2] The length of 50 metres (164 ft) must be between the touch pads at the end of each lane, if they are used.[2] If starting blocks are used, then there must be a minimum depth of 1.35 metres (4.4 ft) from between 1 metre (3 ft) from the end of the pool to at least 6 metres (20 ft) from the end of the pool. At all other points, the minimum depth is 1 metre (3 ft).[2] If the pool is used for Olympic Games or World Championships, then the minimum depth is increased to 2 metres (7 ft).[2]
At FINA's 2009 Congress, rules were approved for 10-lane courses for competition, as an alternative to the more traditional 8-lane course.
History
This version of the Olympic-sized swimming pool debuted in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Beforehand, the Summer Olympics featured the more traditional 8-lane course with a depth of roughly seven feet,[3] now the minimum depth requirement. Twenty-five world records were broken at this pool.
Advantages
The new Olympic-sized swimming pool was designed to provide advantages to competitors. Increasing the lane count from eight to ten introduces a "buffer lane", helping to absorb waves generated by movements of the swimmers.[3] The increased depth of the pool assists the lane lines in dissipating water churn, thereby creating less hydrodynamic drag.[3]
See also
- Sport venue
- List of long course swimming pools in the United Kingdom
- List of long course swimming pools in the Republic of Ireland
- List of Olympic-size swimming pools in the Philippines
- List of largest swimming pools
- List of Olympic venues in swimming
References
- ^ SI Units: Volume
- ^ a b c d e f g "Fina Facilities Rules 2015-2017" (PDF). FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ a b c "China's Olympic Swimming Pool: Redefining Fast". NPR.org. Retrieved 3 March 2019.