Olympic-size swimming pool Olympic-size swimming pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions, large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long course", distinguishing it from "short course" which applies to competitions in pools that are 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. An Olympic-size swimming pool is
Long-distance swimming 50 years. Many Dutch competitors have also achieved prestige in the international arena, such as Herman Willemse, Judith de Nijs, Lenie de Nijs, Joke van Staveren, Monique Wildschut, Irene van der Laan, Hans van Goor, Edith van Dijk and Maarten van der Weijden (Olympic medalist). In the Netherlands, there are three categories of "langebaanzwemmen": Most events are in the long-distance category, with around 25 in the Netherlands. An approximately equal number are organised in Flanders in Belgium. The waterways of the Low Countries, therefore, are some of the busiest in open-water swimming in the world. Long-distance swimming Long-distance swimming is