Olympic-size swimming pool

Olympic size swimming pool at Aquatic Palace, Baku, Azarbaijan

Olympic size swimming pool, Aquatic Palace, Baku

Olympic sized swimming pool, used for Baku 2015 European Games

"Long Course" redirects here. It is not to be confused with long course triathlon.

An Olympic-size swimming pool is the type of swimming pool used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is 50 metres (160 ft) in length. This is typically referred to as "long course", distinguishing it from "short course" which applies to competitions in pools that are 25 metres (82 ft) in length. If touch panels are used in competition, then the distance between touch panels should be either 25 or 50 metres to qualify for FINA recognition. This means that Olympic pools are generally oversized, to accommodate touch panels used in competition.

Specifications

FINA specifications for an Olympic-size pool are as follows:

Length	50 m (164 ft 1 in)
Width	25 m (82 ft 0 in)
Depth	FR 2 Swimming Pools: minimum 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in) between 1 m and 6 m from ends; minimum of 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) elsewhere FR 3 Swimming Pools for Olympic Games and World Championships: minimum 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in); recommended 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in)
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 lux (140 footcandles)
Volume	Based on a nominal depth of 2 m, this is 2,500,000 L (550,000 imp gal; 660,000 US gal) or, in terms of cubic volume, 2,500 m3 (88,000 cu ft), as is commonly quoted.

There must be two spaces 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide outside lanes 1 and 8 (in effect, two empty lanes). The length of 50 metres (164 ft) must be between the touch pads at the end of each lane, if they are used. If starting blocks are used, then there must be a minimum depth of 1.35 metres from between 1.0 metres from the end of the pool to at least 6.0 metres from the end of the pool. At all other points, the minimum depth is 1.0 metres. If the pool is used for Olympic Games or World Championships, then the minimum depth is increased to 2.0 metres.

A simplified diagram of the FINA long course swimming pool standard.

At FINA's 2009 Congress, rules were approved for 10-lane courses for competition, as an alternative to the more traditional 8-lane course.

See also

• Sport venue
• List of Olympic-size swimming pools in the United Kingdom
• List of Olympic-size swimming pools in Ireland