One hundred years after the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials were held in Indianapolis ahead of the 1924 Paris Games, the event will return to the Hoosier state on its biggest stage yet—Lucas Oil Stadium.
For the first time, the Olympic qualifying meet will be held in a football stadium in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators over nine days of competition. The event has expanded in popularity over the years, and venues have changed to reflect that demand. Nearly 200,000 fans attended 15 sold-out sessions in 2016, and this year's competition is expected to top that mark.
How will not one, not two, but three pools fit inside Lucas Oil's friendly confines? Here's everything you need to know about the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials' unique host for the 2024 Games.
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Why is there a swimming pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium?
Lucas Oil Stadium will host the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, bringing the event to the city for the first time since 2000. Then, the Trials were held at the 4,700-capacity Indiana University Natatorium.
Three pools, one competition pool and two warmup pools, were constructed above ground and wrapped with a deck that will make it appear as though they were dug into the stadium floor. Two million gallons of water were brought in from the nearby White River to be circulated, cleaned and chlorinated in tanks before being filtered into the pools.
Lucas Oil's usual tenants, the Indianapolis Colts, offered one of the first previews of the set up ahead of the Trials.
Check out our new pool. 💧 pic.twitter.com/2oT7245Cqr
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) June 5, 2024
This isn't the first time pools have been constructed specifically for the trials— the last five editions of the event have taken place in temporary pools. The company responsible for construction this year, Myrtha Pools, also built pools for previous trials in Omaha and Long Beach.
Where are the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials held?
The U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials will be held inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Aside from being the home of the Colts, Lucas Oil has hosted a Super Bowl, three men's NCAA Final Fours and the CFP National Championship.
Since 2008, the Swimming Trials have been hosted in Omaha, Nebraska, at the 14,000-capacity CHI Health Center. Lucas Oil, considering the construction of the pools, will hold more than double that, reflecting the sport's explosion in popularity over the last decade or two.
How big is an Olympic-sized swimming pool?
- Length: 50 meters
- Depth: 2-3 meters
- Width: 25 meters
The competition pool built for Lucas Oil Stadium is 50 meters long, three meters deep and 25 meters wide, following the standards for elite swimming. That makes up 10 lanes, each 2.5 meters across. The pool at Lucas Oil is three meters deep, however, Olympic regulations leave wiggle room with a minimum depth of two meters. In addition, 25 and 50-meter-long warm-up pools will fill the other half of the stadium, separated from the main competition pool by a curtain at the 50-yard line.
Lucas Oil Stadium capacity
While Lucas Oil can seat around 70,000 people for full-capacity events, only about 30,000 seats will be open for each day of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials given the competition pool only covers half the stadium floor. Nonetheless, it's predicted those seats will be filled almost every day, drawing in close to a record 250,000 people over the course of the event.
In addition to the stadium seats, there will be 20 rows of removable seats on the deck in between the competition pool and the curtain separating the warm-up pools. A 50-foot-tall video board and center-hung scoreboard, reminiscent of one in a basketball arena, have also been constructed to enhance the experience for both swimmers and spectators.
