[olldflame]

I believe this was written well before the Olympics:


Olympic Trivia: The Water Cube is built for speed
Comment8 Comments
The National Aquatics Centre, known as 'The Water Cube', will be one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 -- and surprisingly it won't be just because of the athletes.

It's a "Fast Pool"

To promote the breaking of swimming world records, the Chinese have optimized their Water Cube pool for speed by: (1) Keeping the water at 80.6 degrees, the temperature considered optimal for swimmers; (2) pumping 'microbubbles' into the pool to break the water's surface tension; (3) building the pool to a depth of 42.7 feet, which prevents water-temperature interference; and (4) introducing a ventilation system that whisks chlorine fumes off the surface of the water, allowing the athletes to breathe clean air.

Personally I think the micro-bubble thing is taking it a bit too far. Swimming takes place in the WATER, not a mixture of water and air. I don't see how this is any different than having the track for the 100 meter dash going downhill, or creating an artificial wind behind the runner's backs (which of course in T&F would make all records invalid).

[JK37]

I believe this was written well before the Olympics:


Olympic Trivia: The Water Cube is built for speed
Comment8 Comments
The National Aquatics Centre, known as 'The Water Cube', will be one of the most dramatic and exciting venues to feature sporting events for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 -- and surprisingly it won't be just because of the athletes.

It's a "Fast Pool"

To promote the breaking of swimming world records, the Chinese have optimized their Water Cube pool for speed by: (1) Keeping the water at 80.6 degrees, the temperature considered optimal for swimmers; (2) pumping 'microbubbles' into the pool to break the water's surface tension; (3) building the pool to a depth of 42.7 feet, which prevents water-temperature interference; and (4) introducing a ventilation system that whisks chlorine fumes off the surface of the water, allowing the athletes to breathe clean air.

Personally I think the micro-bubble thing is taking it a bit too far. Swimming takes place in the WATER, not a mixture of water and air. I don't see how this is any different than having the track for the 100 meter dash going downhill, or creating an artificial wind behind the runner's backs (which of course in T&F would make all records invalid).

This is a valid comparison, I think. And, the added lanes on the outside was a great point, too. A swimmer in the pool alone is already faster than one in a race with seven other competitors, because of the wash that's created. That's why its so hard ot catch swimmers from behind, especially ones in lanes near you - their wash slows you. (That's what made Lezak's come=from-behind split in the 4x100m relay the other night so spectacular!)