Swimming Pool
The water-filled tank in which competitive swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming take place, standardised by length and lane count for racing.
Definition
A competition swimming pool is the venue for aquatic racing and related sports. Racing pools come in two principal standard lengths — 50 metres ("long course") and 25 metres ("short course") — with events run in parallel lanes separated by floating lane ropes designed to damp the waves swimmers create. Governing bodies specify depth, water temperature and lane width so conditions stay comparable between venues.
The same body of water can host several sports: swimming, diving (which needs greater depth and platforms), water polo and artistic swimming. "Pool" names the venue; the individual racing corridors within it are lanes, and the wall-to-wall distance defines the course over which times are set.
Scope: A 50 m pool is 'long course'; a 25 m pool is 'short course', and records are kept separately for each.
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Facilities
- Swimming poolA water-filled basin, divided into lanes for competition, used for swimming and other aquatic sports.
- Athletics trackAn oval multi-lane running track, usually 400 metres per lap, used for sprints, distance running and relays.
- Badminton courtA rectangular indoor court, divided by a high net, on which badminton is played as singles or doubles.
- VelodromeA steeply banked oval track for track cycling, with sloped bends that let riders hold high speeds through the turns.
Equipment
- Swim finsFoot blades that increase propulsion when swimming, snorkelling or diving.
- Swimming gogglesSealed eyewear that lets swimmers see clearly and keep water out of the eyes.
- Water bottleA refillable bottle for carrying drinks and staying hydrated during sport.
- BarbellA long bar loaded with weight plates for heavy strength training lifts.
- Golf clubA shafted club with a specialised head used to strike the ball around a golf course.
Disciplines
- Snowboard CrossSnowboard cross is a racing discipline in which several riders descend a terrain course together, with the fastest advancing through rounds.
- BackstrokeBackstroke is swum face-up with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the one competitive stroke where you breathe freely because your face stays out of the water.
- Long TrackLong track speed skating is contested on a 400-metre two-lane oval, with skaters usually racing in pairs and ranked mostly by their times.
- KumiteKumite is the sparring discipline of karate, in which two athletes exchange controlled strikes and kicks under judged rules.
- Gravel CyclingGravel cycling is riding and racing on unpaved roads and mixed surfaces on a drop-bar bike, often over long distances and self-supported.