# How long is an Olympic sized pool? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027 "2004-10-19T14:04:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/1 "2004-10-19T14:04:32Z")
I’ve tried Googling for this, and get competitive swimming results and pool ads. It’s getting too dark to ride my bike to work, so I resumed lap swimming today. I think I did about a half mile, based on my known travel rate, but I’d like to know just how far 32 lengths in that pool really is… ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/2 "2004-10-19T14:07:32Z")
50m ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/3 "2004-10-19T14:10:08Z")
32 lengths is 50 metres?!? Jeez, those pools must look bigger on tv than they actually are. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/4 "2004-10-19T14:18:11Z")
Yes, it’s [50m](http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=SW) - although > [@](#): > > There were the venues, from the Bay of Zea in 1896, to Paris’s River Seine in 1900, to a 100-metre pool constructed inside the athletics track in 1908. Then there were the events, from a 100-metre race for Greek sailors in 1896, to underwater and obstacle races in 1900, to a “plunge for distance” in 1908. That event involved a standing dive, with contestants then remaining motionless for 60 seconds, or until their heads broke the surface - whichever came first. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/5 "2004-10-19T14:19:17Z")
> [@vunderbob](#): > > I’ve tried Googling for this, and get competitive swimming results and pool ads. > > It’s getting too dark to ride my bike to work, so I resumed lap swimming today. I think I did about a half mile, based on my known travel rate, but I’d like to know just how far 32 lengths in that pool really is… If it _was_ an Olympic-sized pool then it was just nine and a bit metres short of a whole mile (1 mile = 1609.34 metres). Are you sure it wasn’t a 25-metre pool though? Fifty metre pools are fairly rare, in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/6 "2004-10-19T14:33:15Z")
There really isn’t any such thing as an “olympic” sized pool. Many places say that but it means nothing. This is especially true if you swim in an apartment building, they are just trying to make it sound big. That being said, at the Olympics they swim in a 50 meter pool that is usually 25 meters wide. Most of the time if you swim in such a large pool it has a bulkhead that will divide it into two parts so more people can swim. Usually only in the summer are the pools made into a 50 meter lap pool. Somewhere on the pool deck there should be a sign that will tell you how many lengths are in a mile. Since you didn’t say how long it took it would be hard to say how big the pool is, though if you are used to swimming in a 25 meter pool and you see a 50 meter pool it looks huge. I would say that most public pools and gym pools are 25 yards to 25 meters. The only real places to find 50 meter pools are at colleges, and then only the bigger ones, or in the place where swimming is big as in the Metro DC area or California. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/7 "2004-10-19T14:37:43Z")
Are you in No VA? I thought I saw a thread that said you were in VA. If that’s the case the only 50 meter pool I know of is at George Mason University, there may be others but that’s the only one I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/8 "2004-10-19T14:38:53Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > The only real places to find 50 meter pools are at colleges, and then only the bigger ones, or in the place where swimming is big as in the Metro DC area or California. I disagree with this. As a child, I was on the local swim team, and we practiced and swam in a 50m pool. All of our weekly meets were held at different pools in the area, all of them 50m. I’d say in Johnson County, Kansas there are probably 15 50m pools. They’re certainly not uncommon or hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/9 "2004-10-19T14:46:23Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > Are you in No VA? I thought I saw a thread that said you were in VA. If that’s the case the only 50 meter pool I know of is at George Mason University, there may be others but that’s the only one I know of. Hampton, SE VA. The pool is at a YMCA, and it is used for competitive swimming. My rate is about a mile an hour, and I swam for a half hour. My shoulders and arms were sore in the locker room, too. ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/10 "2004-10-19T15:00:33Z")
OK, as I understand it, Olympic swimming competitions come under the purview of FINA (“La Federation Internationale de Natation”). On their website, they have the rules for facilities that are to be used for FINA-sanctioned competitions. On this [page](http://www.fina.org/facilityrules_3.html), it says: > [@](#): > > **FR 3 SWIMMING POOLS FOR OLYMPIC GAMES AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS** > > Length: 50.0 metres between the Automatic Officiating Equipment touch panels, except for the World Championships (25 m.), which shall be 25.0 metres between the Automatic Officiating Equipment touch panels at the starting end and the wall or touch panels at the turning end. > > **FR 3.1** Dimensional Tolerances as in FR 2.2.1. > > **FR 3.2** Width: 25.0 metres for Olympic Games and World Championships. > > **FR 3.3** Depth: 2.0 metres (minimum). > > **FR 3.4** Walls: as in FR 2.4.1. > > **FR 3.5** Gutters: as in FR 2.4.3. > > **FR 3.6** Number of lanes: 8 (eight). > > **FR 3.7** Lanes shall be 2.5 metres wide with 2 spaces 2.5 metres wide outside of lanes 1 and 8. There must be a lane rope separating these spaces from lanes 1 and 8 respectively for Olympic Games and World Championships. > > **FR 3.8** Lane Ropes: as in FR 2.6. > > **FR 3.9** Starting Platforms: as in FR 2.7. False start control equipment must be installed. > > **FR 3.10** Numbering: as in FR 2.8. > > **FR 3.11** Backstroke turn indicators: as in FR 2.9. > > **FR 3.12** False Start Rope: as in FR 2.10. > > **FR 3.13** Water temperature: as in FR 2.11. > > **FR 3.14** Lighting: Light intensity over the whole pool shall not be less than 1500 lux. > > **FR 3.15** Lane markings: as in FR 2.13. The distance between the centre points of each lane shall be 2.5 metres. > > **FR 3.16** If the swimming pool and the diving well are in the same area the minimum distance separating the pools shall be 5.0 metres. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/11 "2004-10-19T15:05:57Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I disagree with this. As a child, I was on the local swim team, and we practiced and swam in a 50m pool. All of our weekly meets were held at different pools in the area, all of them 50m. I’d say in Johnson County, Kansas there are probably 15 50m pools. They’re certainly not uncommon or hard to find. Then you have a lot of 50 meter pools in your area. I live in the DC area and am a competative swimmer and could probably only name 10 off the top of my head. Are you sure they were 50 meter pools? They are expensive to keep, you have to heat them, and I was unaware of many age group swimmers that swam often in a 50 meter pool. Even most college meets are done in yards on SCM. > [@](#): > > Hampton, SE VA. The pool is at a YMCA, and it is used for competitive swimming. > > My rate is about a mile an hour, and I swam for a half hour. My shoulders and arms were sore in the locker room, too. Most YMCAs are yard pools, and 32 lengths would be 800 yards, almost the half mile. A mile would be 70 lengths. You should just be able to ask and they will know how large the pool is. I’m going to say the pool is a 25 yard pool. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/12 "2004-10-19T15:11:58Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > Then you have a lot of 50 meter pools in your area. I live in the DC area and am a competative swimmer and could probably only name 10 off the top of my head. Are you sure they were 50 meter pools? They are expensive to keep, you have to heat them, and I was unaware of many age group swimmers that swam often in a 50 meter pool. Even most college meets are done in yards on SCM. > > Most YMCAs are yard pools, and 32 lengths would be 800 yards, almost the half mile. A mile would be 70 lengths. You should just be able to ask and they will know how large the pool is. I’m going to say the pool is a 25 yard pool. By looking at it, I’d SWAG it at 150’ or so end to end, which would make it closer to 50m than 25. When I asked the lifeguard the first day I went, the answer was “Olympic sized” (and the reason I’m asking ) ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/13 "2004-10-19T15:13:04Z")
50 m pool at uni. Advertises Olympic sized. At my old town there was an (unheated) 100m \* 25 m pool. I’m not sure what they advertised that as though. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/14 "2004-10-19T15:20:51Z")
Thanks for all the help. I looked up the Peninsula Y website, and found the answer. It is a 25 yard pool after all. At least it makes the math easier. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/15 "2004-10-19T15:22:18Z")
> [@vunderbob](#): > > By looking at it, I’d SWAG it at 150’ or so end to end, which would make it closer to 50m than 25. > > When I asked the lifeguard the first day I went, the answer was “Olympic sized” (and the reason I’m asking ) I gave them a call and after being bounced around I finally got the answer: 25 yards. As I was saying, people can say what ever they want, a number of the pools in the apartments are called “olympic sized” around me, which I always found funny. Next time try asking how long the pool is and not how big, that’s how I asked them and they were confused they wanted to tell me how big it was. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/16 "2004-10-19T15:42:51Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > I gave them a call and after being bounced around I finally got the answer: 25 yards. Yep - from what you said, if you swam for half an hour you’d have been going at twice your usual rate, **2mph** , if you did 32 lengths of a 50m pool. Not very likely. > [@munch](#): > > I’d say in Johnson County, Kansas there are probably 15 50m pools. Really? There are only 15 Olympic pools in the whole of _England_. ([Cite](http://www.prstubbs.btinternet.co.uk/olist.htm)). But then sports facilities in this country are pretty woeful. Unless you play snooker. ---
**Author:** ![Iris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a5b964/32.png) [@Iris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iris)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/17 "2004-10-19T16:20:48Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > They are expensive to keep, you have to heat them, and I was unaware of many age group swimmers that swam often in a 50 meter pool. Even most college meets are done in yards on SCM. I was an age group swimmer and we had a swim meet every summer that was in a 50 meter “olympic size” pool in Rockville, MD. It was the county’s version of age group LC Championships. Entries were based on qualifying SCM times so opportunities to swim in that big pool were limited. However, I don’t remember ever going to a winter meet in a 50 meter pool as an age group swimmer. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/18 "2004-10-19T16:40:30Z")
I recently got a pitch from a local health club with a pool. I was told that the pool was “Olympic-sized.” I then asked how long, exactly, the pool was, and was told they’d have to get back to me. In the course of this sales pitch, which went on for a few weeks, I asked several people how big the pool was. Each used the exact same term (“definitely Olympic-sized”), and none of them knew the exact length. I finally just went in to look at the pool, and could tell immediatety that it was nothing like an Olympic-sized pool, and was in fact, completely inadequate as a lap pool at all for me. (I personally want a pool at least 25 yards long.) I finally did get a number out of them–38 feet long. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-an-olympic-sized-pool/270027/19 "2004-10-19T16:48:39Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > Then you have a lot of 50 meter pools in your area. I live in the DC area and am a competative swimmer and could probably only name 10 off the top of my head. Are you sure they were 50 meter pools? They are expensive to keep, you have to heat them, and I was unaware of many age group swimmers that swam often in a 50 meter pool. Even most college meets are done in yards on SCM. Yup, I’m sure. I lifeguarded there for a while as well. There was a 25m section of lanes that ran parallel about 1/2 way down the pool (so it looked like a very squat “T”). It was 8 lanes wide, but not 25m wide - not Olympic by the actual definition. But it was definitely 50m. Now, you must keep in mind that these are all outside pools - so no need to heat them, the Kansan summer sun did a decent enough job of that. I think my estimate of 15 may be off. It’s been some time since I’ve lived in the area. Lessee: Shawnee -West (East is 25m) Lenexa -Indiana Trails Overland Park -Bluejacket -Youngs -Tomahawk (maybe) Roeland Park Mission Merriam Prarie Village That’s 9 off the top of my head. I’m sure there are several over on the Missouri side, as well. Kansas loves their pools and movie theaters\* big. Last time I was home I counted over 100 screens within 10 miles of my mother’s house.