How long is an olympics size pool

How Big is an Olympic-Size Pool?

Unless You Have a Palatial Estate, Forget the Really Big Pool

Of all the swimming pools, those that are true Olympic-sized are the largest. Not only do they hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, but their standard-size measurements exceed those of residential pools, no matter how large they may seem.

During and after any summer Olympics, people throughout the world get caught up in the thrill of the Games, the athletes, and the competitions. According to the International Olympic Committee, (IOC) the star attractions of the Summer Games are athletics (that would be jumping; throwing; and sprint, middle-distance, and long-distance races) and swimming. These are the most widely followed Olympic sports in the world and also have the largest number of events and participants from different countries.

That Olympic Pool is Really Big. Like, Really, Really Big

The first Olympic swimming competitions of the «modern» Games took place in the sea or in a river, which, traditionally, are good-sized bodies of water. Competitions now take place in 164-foot swimming pools, which are usually indoors.

If someone—like your boastful brother-in-law who fancies himself the Mr. Jones with whom everyone is trying to keep up—tells you he is building a genuine Olympic-size pool in his huge backyard, he is either:

To clear things up, a regulation Olympic competition pool:

Olympic Pool Facts

To put things in perspective, and just for fun, we share some Olympic-size pool-related facts:

Locations of Olympics or Olympic-Size Pools

If you have a burning desire to swim in an Olympic-size pool or one that was actually used during an Olympics competition, you might be able to find one near your home or make it your next travel destination. Among them:

How Big is an Olympic Swimming Pool?

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An Olympic sized swimming pool is 50 meters long, and at least eight lanes wide. The official dimensions of an Olympic swimming pool are are defined by FINA, the international governing body for the sport of swimming.

Surprisingly few people outside of the competitive swimming world know the difference between an Olympic swimming pool and an ordinary lap pool. We often hear from clients that claim to have «an olympic length pool», but they almost always mean a 25-yard lap pool. This article will clear up any confusion over swimming pool dimensions so that you can know the differences in sizes of swimming pools.

Swimming pool dimensions

We will focus on pools with lap lanes only. Recreational pools with play areas and lazy rivers will be excluded from this because those pools do not host swimming, diving, or water polo competitions. Keep in mind that American swimming pools use yards and meters, but internationally, only meters are used.

Short Course (SCY, SCM)

Short Course Yards (SCY) is 25 yards long. SCY is a standard distance for USA Swimming, high school and collegiate meets in the United States.

In the United States, most competitive swimming pools are 25 yards long. This is the most standard length competition pool, and the one most commonly mistaken for an Olympic sized pool (by those who were not competitive swimmers). Most US high schools, public recreation centers, universities and YMCA’s have 25-yard pools. Swimmers refer to this type of pool as «short course», or «short course yards». On paper, the acronym is SCY.

For non-championship meets (recreational, high school and college dual meets), 6 lane SCY pools can be used. This allows 3 swimmers from each team, staggered by lane (1,3,5 vs. 2,4,6). Sanctioned championship meets, however, must have 8 lanes (or more). These pools are usually 42′ or 45′ wide, based on 7′ lane widths, and whether or not there are gaps between outside lanes and the pool walls.

For officially-sanctioned USA Swimming and NCAA/NAIA meets, a 25-yard pool must also have approved timing touchpads that hang on the wall where the swimmers touch and turn. These touchpads are approximately one centimeter to half an inch thick (1.0 cm to 0.5 in), depending on the brand. So the pools that host sanctioned swim meets must be slightly larger than 25 yards to accommodate the touch pads. Touchpads are also used for any sanctioned meet in meters.

SCM: International Short Course, and American Outdoor Summer League Pools

Most outdoor community pools–such as homeowner association (HOA) neighborhood pools–are actually 25 meters long. The acronym for Short Course Meters is SCM. These types of pools are the ones that host summer swimming leagues. One of the largest outdoor summer swimming league, for example, is the Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL). NVSL pools are almost all 25 meters long, and the records and official meets are in SCM. Depths vary, as do coping stone shapes and sizes, but length does not. In fact, the oldest NVSL records on the books are the ones in SCY, because those pools no longer exist (with maybe one or two exceptions).

Summer League swimming is usually Short Course Meters (SCM), which is 25 meters with no touchpads.

Outdoor summer swim leagues tend to not use touch pads (volunteer timers instead), so the pools are usually made exactly 25 meters long. Lap lanes are divided by lane lines that are usually seven feet apart, but on larger pools can be 8 feet wide. The international FINA standard lane width is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The narrowest common lane width is 6.5 feet.

Long Course (LCM)

US Olympic Trials in 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. An official Olympic Sized pool is 50 meters long by 25 meters wide.

A true «olympic pool» is long course meters (LCM). Long course is the standard for international competition, with the exception of a few international short course championships, like the Duel in the Pool, Short Course World Championships, International Swimming League (ISL), and the FINA World Cup.

And if you were wondering, there is no such thing as long course yards. Long course is always in meters.

Most Long Course Pools do not meet FINA standards for width

Greensboro Aquatic Center (GAC) is a premier aquatic center in the country. It is 50m long by 25yds wide, and therefore does not meet FINA standards. Nevertheless, GAC hosts USA Swimming, NCAA, YMCA and Masters national championships, and the LCM times count.

There are a few essentials that make a true Olympic pool different just any long course pool. The main differences are depth requirements, lane widths, and the actual width of the pool itself. FINA-sanctioned long course pools must be at least 2.0 meters deep throughout, and must be 25 meters wide, with 2.5 meter lanes.

But in the United States, because we swim in yards (and no other nation does), our LCM pools in universities and public aquatics centers are usually 25 yards wide. Therefore, most long course pools in the USA are not able to host FINA-sanctioned international meets like the World Championships or the Olympics. But don’t worry, we make temporary pools for those big events anyway, just like US Olympic Trials. This pool construction was done by Spear Corporation.

The 25 yard width is for practical purposes, so that when the pool is not set up in long course format, the pool can have 20+ lanes of short course yards. More than one swim team can use a big pool this way. Making our pools 25 meters across would add over 50,000 more gallons (190 m 3 ). So the costs are higher to operate the pool, and for less utility.

Also for practical purposes, almost all long course pools have dividing walls–called bulkheads –that can be moved. These bulkheads allow for multiple setups. For instance, a pool could have a meet from wall to bulkhead, and warmup lanes on the other side of the bulkhead. Bulkheads are moved to opposite ends of the pool when long course racing occurs. This means that most olympic-sized swimming pools have two bulkheads, and are built larger than 50 meters to accomodate the width of the bulkheads.

In most American university aquatic centers, bulkheads range from 3.5 to 6 feet in width. They can be rolled and anchored into multiple locations for different racing setups. Here’s a cool video of MIT’s pool being switched from short course to long course:

LCM times still count

Just because American LCM pools cannot host FINA-sanctioned meets, they can host USA Swimming sanctioned meets. Provided the pool complies with USA Swimming pool standards, and the event is a USAS-sanctioned meet, long course times still count as official times.

Less-common sizes of competition pools

Queens University’s pool is considered a «Stretch 33», because it can stretch to 33.3 meters by moving the bulkhead.

By far and away, the most common competition pool in America is short course yards (SCY). Internationally, however, everything is in meters, so you have a mix of long course meters and short course meters. But you also have something in between. We call these pools «stretch» pools. As in «33 stretch» or a «25 stretch.» A stretch just means there is more water on the other side of a moveable bulkhead. For instance, a SCY pool could have a bulkhead, and another 15 yards for a diving well, or a shallow end for lessons.

The photo above is of Queens University in Charlotte. It is a stretch 33 pool, meaning the bulkhead can be moved to the end for 33.33 meters. It is designed to be one third of 100 meters. This allows 3 laps to equal 2 laps in LCM, or 4 laps in SCM. It’s right in between. But most of the time, the bulkhead is set up for SCY training and competition.

Internationally, stretch 33 pools are more common than they are in the United States.

Conclusion

Olympic pools are few and far between. For one thing, they are huge. They have more than twice the amount of water of a typical short course yards pool, and more than twice the costs of operation. So naturally, there are far more short course pools in the United States. Short course pools are much more affordable, practical, and can host just about any competition except long course meets.

People outside of the competitive swimming community often consider 25 yard or 25 meter short course pools to be Olympic sized, but that is incorrect. Only 50 meter long course pools are considered olympic sized. And yes, we consider 50m x 25yd pools to meet the criteria of Olympic sized, even though they cannot host FINA-sanctioned international meets. Who cares? The qualifying times still count.

So the next time someone (like a realtor) boasts that the neighborhood pool is olympic sized, now you know the difference.

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How Big Is An Olympic-Size Swimming Pool?

Swimming is among the most followed Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes the International Swimming Federation (FINA) for international administration of water sports. As such, FINA has outlined specifications of an Olympic-size pool. A typical Olympic-size pool is 50 meters long, 25 meters wide, and two meters deep.

Specifications for Olympic-size Swimming Pools

As mentioned earlier on, the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool needs to be 50 meters long with an allowance of an extra 0.03 meter. Its length is the major reason as to why it is referred to as the “long course.” The short course pool is only 25 meters long. The width should be 25 meters with no extra allowance. Regarding the depth of the pool, there is a provision of at least two meters. The volume of water held in the Olympic-size pools should be 2,500,000 liters when the depth of the pool is two meters. However, the recommended depth is three meters. When touch panels are used during a competition, the distance between them should be either 25 meters or 50 meters to be recognized by FINA. Hence, the Olympics pools will most likely be over sized to accommodate the touch panels required for the competitions.

Additionally, FINA requires ten lanes for the Olympics. The ten lanes received approval at FINA’s 2009 Congress. Hence, the federation banned the use of the traditional eight-lane courses at the Olympics. However, the use of the eight-lane pools for the World Championships is ongoing. The lanes usually have widths of 2.5 meters. There is also a recommendation for water temperature and light intensity. The water temperature for the pools should be from 25-28 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the minimum intensity of light allowed is 1500 lux.

Training of Swimming Athletes

Swimming is among the most followed Olympic Games. To prepare for the Olympics, many athletes prefer training in 50 meter long pools to build their endurance. Furthermore, such a pool exemplifies an open water situation and also helps them keep rhythm during actual competitions. On the contrary, athletes who seek to improve their swimming speed train in 25 meters pools.

5 Olympic-size Pool Facts

1.) According to NASA, California would need an amount of water equivalent to the volume of 16.7 million Olympic-sized pools to recover from its history of droughts.

2.) The Olympics swimming sport has been in existence since 1986 when competitors first participated in the game in Athens.

3.) During the first Olympics swimming competition, swimmers used the Mediterranean Sea.

4.) The first Olympics swimming games to be held in an actual pool was during the 1908 London Games. At the 1900 Paris Olympics, swimmers competed in the Seine River accompanied by ducks and fish.

5.) The four swimming strokes used during Olympic Games are freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke. The use of a combination of all four strokes is permitted. The combination of the swimming strokes is called individual medley.

How Big is an Olympic-Size Swimming Pool?

The Olympics swimming sport has been in existence since 1986 when swimming competitors participated only in freestyle and the breaststroke competitions. Those competitions were carried out in major rivers and seas such as the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, the first Olympics swimming games to be held in a swimming pool was during the London Olympic Games in 1908.

With the Summer Olympic Games returning into the spotlight, as a swimmer intending to participate in the event, you may be wondering how big an Olympic-size pool is. Many bloggers have tried to answer this question but they have not provided a more meaningful answer.

How big is an olympic size swimming pool? Olympic size swimming pool are approximately 50 m or 164 feet in length, 25 m or 82 feet in width, and 2 m or 6 feet in depth. These measurements create a surface area of 13,454.72 square feet and a volume of 88,263 cubic feet. The pool has 660,430 gallons of water, which equals about 5,511,550 lbs.

Well. In this article, I’ve provided a more detailed and comprehensive answer you can ever get from experts. Read on to learn more.

What is an Olympic-Size Swimming Pool?

Before I tell you how big an Olympic size swimming pool is, let’s first understand what these pools are all about. Basically, an Olympic-size swimming pool, also known as “long course” pools, is a type of pool used in the Olympic Games. They are large enough to fit touch panels used in swimming competition and to hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of water.

The first Olympic-sized swimming pool was used during the 2008 Summer Olympics which were held in Beijing, China. Beforehand, the Olympic Games featured an 8-lane course swimming pool with a depth of around seven feet. FINA, an international body recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competition in water sports, decided to increase the depth of the pool and the number of lanes to 10. This was informed by the need to reduce the waves created by swimmers and resistance against the swimmers.

Since then, an Olympic-sized pool is used to determine whether a swimmer has broken the swimming record or not.

FINA Swimming Pool Regulations

As stated earlier, the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) is the internationally recognized body that oversees various aquatics sports such as water polo, diving and swimming. The body regulates the design, layout and overall measurements of swimming pools that are used in those sports.

For instance, according to the FINA Facility Rules, all Olympic Games must be held in swimming pools that comply with regulations FR 11, FR8, FR 6, and FR 3. Below are detailed explanations of these rules.

Dimensions

The length of the pool should be 50 meters (164 feet) between the Automatic Officiating Equipment touch panels. In fact, its length is the main reason these pools are referred to as “long course” pools. The width of the pool should be 25 meters, which is around 82 feet. The pool should have a minimum of 2 meters (7 feet) in depth. When using the pool for multi-disciplines, the recommended depth should be 3 meters (9 feet, 10 inches).

Volume

According to the measurement above, an Olympic-size Pool should have a surface area of around 13,454.72 square feet. Assuming the depth is 2 meters, the pool will have around 2,500,000 liters of water which is equivalent to 660,430 gallons of water.

Number of Lanes

As stated easier, the traditional Olympic swimming pools had 8 lanes. In 2009, the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) passed a resolution requiring all future Olympic swimming pools to have 10 lanes of 2.5 meters wide. These lanes are must be marked from 0 to 9.

During the Olympic swimming competition, each swimmer is assigned one of the eight marked lanes. The two outer lanes, which are not used during the completion, are used as a buffer zone to reduce the waves created by swimmers and resistance against the swimmers. The pool must have a lane rope to separate these spaces from lanes one and eight for the Olympic Games.

Water Features

FINA also recommends the amount of light intensity and temperature for an Olympic-Size pool. The pools should have a temperature of between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius. The minimum intensity of light of the whole pool should be 1500 lux. Just like in the World Championships and other FINA events, freshwater should be used in Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Additional Features

An Olympic swimming pool should also have lines, ropes, and indicators. These three features are used to track and guide swimmers. For instance, the false start rope is 5 meters long and used to indicate a false start to the swimmers. The backstroke turn indicator, which indicates the end of the lane, is installed 5 meters from each end of the swimming pool. The backstroke flags, which determine the swimmer’s distance from the lane end wall, should be 1.8 to 2.5 meters above the water. Last but not least, Olympic swimming pools must be equipped with flush walls at both ends.

Locations of Olympic-Size Pools

Whether you are a weekend warrior with a burning desire to swim in an Olympic-size pool or a professional athlete preparing for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics, there are several Olympic-size swimming pools in the United States that you can explore. Below are some of the few recommendations you can consider:

1. Kosciuszko Pool, New York, New York

Kosciuszko Pool is located along 670 Marcy Ave in Brooklyn. This seasonal complex has two pools, one Olympic-size pool and another pool designed for wading, plus lockers.

2. Wilson Aquatic Center, Washington DC

The Wilson Aquatic Center is located in the Tenleytown in Washington, DC. The center offers a 50-meter by 25-meters Olympic-sized swimming pool with diving boards, one whirlpool, one leisure pool, a multi-purpose room, and a viewing gallery.

3. Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center

The Lee and Joe Jamail pool is located along 1900 Red River Street in Austin, Texas. It is owned and operated by the University of Texas. This pool holds the university’s scuba-diving classes and swimming competitions.

4. Uytengsu Aquatics Center at the University of Southern California (USC)

Located on 1026 W 34th Street in Los Angeles, the Uytengsu Aquatics Center features a diving well with towers and a long course pool. The center, which is owned and operated by the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, is the home for USC Trojan’s diving and swimming teams.

5. San Ramon Aquatics Center, San Ramon, California

San Ramon Aquatics Center is located on 900 Broadmoor Drive in San Ramon, California. The center offers a 50-meter by 25-meters Olympic-sized swimming pool where swimming enthusiasts flock to learn how to swim, train or participate in various competitions.

6. McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech

McAuley Aquatic Center is located on 750 Ferst Drive in Atlanta, Georgia. Owned by Georgia Tech campus, this center hosts state, national, and international swimming events throughout the year.

7. Phoenix Swim Club, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Phoenix Swim Club is located on 3901 E Stanford Drive in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The center offer programs for swimmers of all ages and levels. It is open to the public; swimmers, who want to learn how to swim, train or watch various swimk8ing competitions.

8. Ritchie Center, University of Denver, Colorado

Ritchie Center is owned and managed by the University of Denver. Located on 2240 Buchtel Boulevard S in Denver, Ritchie Center is the only Olympic-sized swimming pool in Denver.

9. Colman Pool, Seattle, Washington

Colman Pool is conveniently located on 8603 Fauntleroy Way SW in Seattle. The pool offers a variety of services such as exercise programs, lap swims, swimming lessons, adult swim times, and more.

Other Olympic Swimming Pools Across The Word

1. London 2012, London Aquatics Centre

This is an indoor heated swimming pool built for the London 2012 Olympics. This is where Nathan Adrian broke the record in the men’s 100m freestyle.

2. Sydney 2000, Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

Sydney Olympic pool is located on Olympic Boulevard in Sydney Olympic Park. It is a 10 lane pool ideal for serious swimming, training and family fun.

3. 972 Munich, Olympia-Schwimmhalle

Munich’s Olympic swimming pool is vividly remembered as Olympic swimming’s greatest performances. The complex features an impressive collection of outdoor and indoor diving boards, swimming pools, and saunas.

4. 1976 Montreal, Parc Olympique

Montreal Olympic pool was constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games. This 10 lane pool welcomes swimmers who want to learn how to swim or practice for serious competitions.

Conclusion

As you can see, Olympic-sized swimming pools are long and large enough to hold more water. They have 10 lanes of 2.5 m wide. The eight-lane pools are used in World Championship races. The Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) provides a long list of regulations to be followed when designing and building an Olympic-sized pool. The regulations cover everything from the pool’s dimensions and volume to temperature and lighting intensity.

If you are preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympics or any competition, a 50-meter long pool might be a good training spot for you. A long-sized pool helps build endurance. Other swimmers prefer training in a 25-meter long pool to improve their speed.

Pool Size Comparison: Olympic Size, 25 Meter & 25 Yard

Ashley Philipp

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After a year of waiting and uncertainty, the Summer Olympic Games will officially begin on July 23, 2021. Athletes from all over the world have trained, competed and qualified to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and viewers will finally get to see who will take home the gold.

With the Summer Olympic Games back in the spotlight, it got us thinking about “Olympic-sized” pools and other competitive swimming pool sizes.

If you’re unfamiliar with competitive swimming, here’s a quick explanation of the different competition pool lengths to give you a better understanding before you tune in.

50 Meter Pools

A 50 meter long pool is considered an “Olympic-size” pool and typically holds around 500,000 gallons of water. Additionally, a true “Olympic-sized” pool has a depth of at least two meters and 10 lanes, with a width of two and a half meters each. 50 meter pools are used in the Olympic Games, World Championships, international competitions and other swim club competitions during the summer season.

25 Yard Pools

The United States is the only country that doesn’t use the metric system and it’s, therefore, the only country that has a regulated distance of 25 yard pools for college and high school swimming competitions. N eighborhood HOA pools, recreation pools and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition pools are typically 25 yard pools.

25 Meter Pools

Meters and yards may seem like similar lengths to those outside of the competitive swimming world, but swimmers consider them to be very different. 25 meter long pools are slightly longer than 25 yard pools and are primarily used in international competitions.

To differentiate between pool sizes for swimming times, here are the three different types of competitive swimming pools:

For example, one swimmer who competes internationally will have three different times for their 100 freestyle event: a LCM, SCY and SCM time. There are world records for SCM and LCM races, but only U.S. records for SCY events.

33 1/3 Meter Pools

Increasingly rare to find are the 33 1/3 pools, which typically accommodate the needs of water polo. There are many pools with unregulated lengths used for training purposes; however, in sanctioned swim meets the pool length must be measured and verified.

Now armed with pool length knowledge, you’re ready to watch any upcoming swimming event, including the Summer Olympics.