An Olympic-size swimming pool is the type of swimming pool used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is 50 metres (160 ft) in length. This is typically referred to as "long course", distinguishing it from "short course" which applies to competitions in pools that are 25 metres (82 ft) in length. If touch panels are used in competition, then the distance between touch panels should be either 25 or 50 metres to qualify for FINA recognition. This means that Olympic pools are generally oversized, to accommodate touch panels used in competition.

Specifications

FINA specifications for an Olympic-size pool are as follows:

There must be two spaces 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide outside lanes 1 and 8 (in effect, two empty lanes). The length of 50 metres (164 ft) must be between the touch pads at the end of each lane, if they are used. If starting blocks are used, then there must be a minimum depth of 1.35 metres from between 1.0 metres from the end of the pool to at least 6.0 metres from the end of the pool. At all other points, the minimum depth is 1.0 metres. If the pool is used for Olympic Games or World Championships, then the minimum depth is increased to 2.0 metres.

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or paddling pool is a container that is filled with water to enable swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be sunk into the ground or built above ground (as a freestanding construction or as part of a building or other larger structure), and are also a standard feature aboard oceanliners and cruise ships. In-ground pools are most commonly constructed from materials such as concrete, natural stone, metal, plastic or fiberglass, and can be of a custom size and shape or built to a standardised size, the largest of which is the Olympic-size swimming pool.

Many health clubs, fitness centers and private clubs, such as the YMCA, have pools used mostly for exercise or recreation. Many towns and cities provide public pools. Many hotels have pools available for their guests to use at their leisure. Educational facilities such as schools and universities occasionally have pools for physical education classes, recreational activities, leisure or competitive athletics such as swimming teams. Hot tubs and spas are pools filled with hot water, used for relaxation or hydrotherapy, and are common in homes, hotels, clubs and massage parlors. Special swimming pools are also used for diving and other water sports, as well as for the training of lifeguards and astronauts.

Swimming Pool is a 2003 French-British erotic thriller film directed by François Ozon and starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier. The plot focuses on a British crime novelist, Sarah Morton, who travels to her publisher's upmarket summer house in Southern France to seek solitude in order to work on her next book. However, the arrival of Julie, the publisher's daughter, induces complications and a subsequent crime.

While the film's protagonist is British and both of the lead characters are bilingual, the majority of the story takes place in France – thus, the dialogue throughout the film is a mixture of French and English, which is appropriately subtitled.

Swimming Pool premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2003, and was released in France a few days later, with a U cinema rating, meaning it was deemed suitable for all ages. It was given a limited release in the United States that July, and was edited in order to avoid an NC-17 rating due to its sexual content and nudity. It was subsequently released in North America on DVD in an unrated cut.

Swimming pool may refer to:

Films

Television

Music

See also