Every kind of sport has its specific dimensions and administrators, which prepare and arrange the pool for competition. Such an administration in the swimming sport is FINA (La Federation Internationale de Natation located in Lausanne, Switzerland). FINA makes the rules for different kinds of swimming competitions. So, it forms regulations for competition pools. Any pool may be used in swimming competition if it follows the established requirements, in which the swimming pools sizes, lighting, shape, safety and different equipment for competition pools are defined.
By the rules the following competition pool sizes are required:
Depth: 2.0 meters minimum,
Width: 25.0 meters,
Length: 50.0 meters (or 25.0 meters if it is a short course), 8 2.5 meter lanes with a 2.5 meter distance outside lanes 1 and 8; the pool is divided into lanes by a lane rope.
Many public pools have the sizes required for various swimming competitions. Mostly they are 50m long and 25m wide. Also some swimming events may be held in a 25m pool. There are a lot of pools with 33m in length, so that three lengths are equal to 100 meters. Well-known is the fact that the swimmer increases speed from touching the pool wall after a flip-turn. Therefore, the farther he can push off, the less time is needed to swim the same length.
Competition pools are to be indoors to submit the temperature, lighting, and other equipment.
One of the most important elements for a swimmer is the water temperature, especially in the beginning of competition, when the cold water in a pool shocks him then he loses time. Hot water is also not good, because it relaxes a swimmer. According to the rules the temperature in competition pools must be 26 degrees centigrade (+/- one degree). Another important factor is the temperature of the air in the aquatorium and it must be kept within 1-2 degrees centigrade warmer than the water is.
Lighting is important for swimmers to consider their lane and to estimate the location of other competitors. For this purpose indoor-pool lightning or sunlight may be used. Lighting for indoor pools is at least 215fc, outdoor ? 110fc (F.I.N.A). At the time when competition is held all indoor-pool lights should be restrained to the side walls.
In order to protect the athletes from the different infections swimming pool waters must be sanctioned by the bacteriological standards. More of this water must look esthetically. The quite important for competitive swimming is the chemical balance of the water.
All the competition pools and Olympic swimming pool characteristics must follow to established rules in order to hold successful course of competition and to show their real results.
It is interesting to know. Do you know that some swimming pools are divided into ?fast? and ?slow?? What does it mean? Because of making and reflecting waves by components of a pool, waves become slow for a swimmer. A ?fast? pool decreases wave resistance, it makes the wave light, and therefore this ?low? factor must be considerate in designing the swimming pools.
To design good competition pools it is necessary to know how the athlete uses it, and what his movement and strokes are in the water during a swimming event.