An Olympic swimming pool is 50 meters long. That length is the standard for Olympic swimming competition, distinguishing the long-course pool used at the Summer Games from shorter training and short-course facilities.
World Aquatics regulations specify a 50.0-meter distance between the touch panels at the ends of an Olympic competition pool. Olympic pools are generally divided into 10 lanes, although only eight lanes are used in many competition formats, with each lane typically 2.5 meters wide. The pool is also deep enough to support safe, fast racing and accurate officiating.
The most common mix-up is with the 25-meter pool. A 25-meter pool is used for short-course swimming, including short-course world championships, but it is not the standard Olympic racing distance. The 100-meter option can also seem plausible because many Olympic races cover 100 meters, yet swimmers complete two lengths of a 50-meter pool in that event.
Other aquatic Olympic venues have different dimensions: diving pools, water-polo pools, and artistic-swimming facilities follow their own requirements. The 50-meter figure applies specifically to the Olympic swimming racing pool.