Olympic Pool Size Dimensions

The Olympic pool size dimensions are regulated by the Federation Internationale de Natation or FINA. The specifications for the pools used in the Olympic Games are as follows.

The FINA Measurements

The length is 50 meters or 164 feet. The width is 25 meters or 82 feet. 10 lanes are present in the pool. Each lane has to be 2.5 meters or 8 feet and 2 inches wide.

These pools must also be kept at temperatures between 25 to 28 degrees Celsius. The pool depth has to be 2.0 meters or 6 feet and 7 inches deep. The volume of water used has to be 660,000 U.S. gallons minimum.

The Two Extra Lanes

Only eight lanes are used during competitions. Lanes number one and ten (the first and the last) are empty.

Size Comparisons with Other Pools

Compared to the Olympic pool size dimensions, the short course swimming pool is 25 meters long. Majority of pools in the world are set in meters. However in the US, these are measured in yards or feet. In the UK, the measurement is in meters. A few older pools are gauged in yards.

In the United States, the measurements are either 25 meters (SCM-short course meters), 25 yards (SCY-short course yards) or 50 meters (long course). The Olympic pools are not used in the NCAA and US high schools; the short course (25 yards) is used instead.

Variants exist, with some 33 1/2 m in length. Three of these would measure 100 m. It is the one used in water polo. While the US uses both metric and non metric, only the metric system is used in Olympic swimming. Olympic and world records are only accepted if performed in 25 m short course or 50 m pools.

Width and Depth of Pools

Compared with the ones used in the Olympics, European pools are between 10 to 50 meters wide. Depth varies depending on the purpose. Privately owned pools have varying depths. They may be 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft) deep.

Slopes in the public pool can range from 3.0 to 5.5 m (9.8 to 18.0 ft) around the deepest areas. Overall dimensions of private pools can be 12 x 24 ft (3.7 x 7.3 m) to 20 x 40 ft (6.1 x 12 m).

While the Olympic pool size dimensions are immense, the ones used for public and private are smaller. Children’s play pools are of course even smaller. Their depth is usually from 0.3 to 1.2 m (1.0 to 4 ft) deep.