No roof for Athens olympic pool !

Former Member
Former Member
Have you heard that the swimmers in Greece will have to swim in a pool with no roof. The "jokers" in Greece, despite having 8 years to prepare for the games, have said that they do not have enough time to finish the roof on the Olympic pool. It will be 104' approx in August at midday. The water will be too warm for fast times and the glare of the sun will make filming for TV difficult. Apparently, they are looking at moving heats ( apt word for them ) to early morning or late evening, after the finals ! What effect will this have on results, especially for swimmers who are doing multiple events ( like Phelps ) ? :mad:
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Well, with New England and 50 meter pools, I think it has to do with budgets. New England spends a lot more per student for the k thre 12 than does a state like Arizona. Arizona spends more on sport facilties and is in the bottom 5 in expendure for students in the k thru 12. So, New England believes that education is more important than sport facilities. Also, there is no major college swim program there like is in Arizona. Third Arizona is a larger state in population and pools are of course are usually built in large urban areas. I think the porter pool which can be use in summer will help swimming develop in more rural or smaller urban settings.
  • As I understand it there will be no tarp. The original plans called for a fixed roof that was scrapped and replaced with the tarp, due to construction delays. Now due to continued delays there will be no tarp. I just hope there is water! I wonder how the Australians will handle coming from mid-winter training into the 100+ degrees in Athens.
  • The NYT article had this: The trials will be held July 7 through July 14 at a temporary outdoor pool in Long Beach, Calif. Mike Unger, the chief operating officer of USA Swimming, the national governing body, said: "We made the Olympic trials outdoors because we believed the Olympic swimming would be completely outdoors. Six months later, we learned they wanted to put a roof on." Can someone describe a "temporary outdoor pool?"
  • Originally posted by seltzer Another benefit of temporary pools is that they can be moved and donated to facilities better able to offer them to public. For example, the Atlanta Olympic pool was moved to Georgia Tech where it now serves a large population. Hi Seltzer! I live in the Atlanta area and have swam/coached at the Atlanta Olympic pool many times over the past 8 years. It definitely is not a temporary pool. It was never moved either. It was an outdoor pool that was recently enclosed but, other than that, it is just like it was in 1996. I'm sorry to disagree....I'm not trying to be ugly! I just wanted to set the record straight! ;)
  • Man I hope not. The shots of swimmer X looking thoughtful in front of the lean-to he used to share with all 80 members of his extended and adoptive family really make the ten seconds of race coverage feel that much more alive.
  • Originally posted by Kevin in MD Man I hope not. The shots of swimmer X looking thoughtful in front of the lean-to he used to share with all 80 members of his extended and adoptive family really make the ten seconds of race coverage feel that much more alive. Do I detect a note of sarcasm? ;) I've found the CBC (Canadian) broadcasts show much more of the actual competition. If you get CBC watch their broadcast instead of NBC.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Tom!!! You kill me!!!!:D Uhuuhh....Shut Up Beavis!
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Could be of the Splash Pools variety! Or something even sturdier like the one they had at the World's last year. That was a temporary pool brought in and set up for that meet. Kind of neat the way they do it.:D
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by aquageek The NYT article had this: Can someone describe a "temporary outdoor pool?" This is the latest and greatest on pool technology. They range from temporary warm-up/warm-down facilities (think 2003 LCM Nationals at Rutgers) to "state-of-the-art" swimming facilities (think Atlanta Olympics). For a "virtual" look at the pool go to: http://www.longbeach2004.com/ The venue section give you an idea of how this set-up will work. Also note that the FINA championships after the Olympics will be held in Indianiapolis, not at the IUPUI Natatorium but the forum where the Indiana Pacers play. The thinking is that for special events a temporary pool can be placed into a venue that seat far more than can be justified in a permanent natatorium. Another benefit of temporary pools is that they can be moved and donated to facilities better able to offer them to public. For example, the Atlanta Olympic pool was moved to Georgia Tech where it now serves a large population. Maybe one day this technology will get cheaper enough that areas such as New England can put up "temporary" outdoor 50 meter pools. Might be the cheapest way to build the first 50 meter pool in Maine.
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