Olympic size swimming pool dimensions: length, width, depth (how deep) and lane size
The dimensions of an Olympic-size pool must be consistent whether that pool is at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, at the 2012 Olympics in London, England, or at an Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the United States. from America. While the size of home personal pools fluctuates wildly – some are very large while others are very small – Olympic size has become the standard in uniform dimensions for competitive swimmers.
In terms of length, the distance is 50 meters from one end to the other. Meters are a metric unit of measurement and in the typical US measurement system this equates to 164 feet. When an athlete swims a lap, he swims from one extreme to the other and then returns to the original starting point. Basically swimming one lap is equivalent to two trips through the pool, which is equivalent to 100 meters (50 meters plus 50 meters). Swimming a lap equals 10% of a kilometer or 6.2% of a mile in the typical US system.
The width is 25 meters (82 feet). The basic dimensions of these pools are easy to remember because the length is 50 meters and the width is just half that number. There are normally eight lanes. In some pools for training purposes, the normal eight lanes will be increased (often doubled to sixteen) by changing the way swimmers use the pool so that athletes swim along the 25 meter side rather than the 50 meters in length. While this training method is less than ideal for working out over time, it allows more people to swim at the same time when pool space and resources are limited.
In tournaments the width of each lane is 2.5 meters. For readers unfamiliar with the metric system, 2.5 meters equals 8 feet 2 inches. A swim lane longer than eight feet should be large enough for a swimmer of any size, regardless of wingspan and stroke (butterfly stroke, for example, requires more space than back stroke).
The depth of a lap pool is 6 meters (6 feet 7 inches). Many people mistakenly assume that these pools are 10 feet deep. Perhaps the shallow depth is an attempt to save water.
Interestingly, there is even a standard temperature that goes along with the other more conventional dimensions. In an effort to keep the competitive field as level as possible, a water temperature range has been implemented to avoid the advantages of home swimming pools resulting in exceptionally hot or cold water training. The regulated temperature spectrum is between 25 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius. That time equates to between 77 degrees and 82 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale.