Just as competitive baseball, track & field and gymnastics have fine-tuned specifications for their playing fields, so does Olympic swimming. Any pool set to be used at an Olympic Games must adhere to strict parameters. These are dictated by the sport’s aquatic governing body, FINA.
All Olympic swimming pools must be 50m in length, with a deviation tolerance of between just +0.010, -0.000 meters. The pool, whether or permanent or temporary structure must be 25 meters wide with a depth of at least 2 meters.
In terms of temperature, FINA mandates that the water be kept between 25° to 28° C (77° to 82° F). Currents are also kept in check, as the water must be kept at a constant level. There are inflow and outflow number regulations that must be kept in tact at all times.
Olympic swimmers each have their own swimming lane, 8 lanes in total, which are each 2.5 meters wide. There are even color specifications, with lanes 1 and 8 being green. Lanes 2, 3, 6 and 7 are blue, while lanes 4 and 5 are yellow.
Prior to competition, the pool undergoes a FINA certification process where all of the mandated parameters are deemed within specifications.
