Why Olympic Swimmers Have Set Zero World Records in Paris

The Seine isn’t the only sketchy water at the Paris Olympics.

The Olympic Aquatics Centre is getting criticized, too.

However, the issue isn’t the cleanliness of the Olympic pool’s water. All the questions and criticism have to do with its depth, which appears to be providing less than ideal conditions for the planet’s best swimmers looking to make history.

So far, the shallow pool in Paris has produced zero world records. Judging by the swimmers’ growing complaints, the water feels as restrictive as rush hour traffic on the Champs-Elysees.

The pool is 2.15 meters deep, which is well below the World Aquatics’ recommendation of 3 meters. Apparently, the depth exceeded the minimum standard when the Paris Games plans were approved.

Yahoo Sports’ Henry Bushnell described the dilemma — in depth: “The even more specific problem is that, in shallower pools, the water that swimmers displace with their strokes can essentially bounce off the bottom of the pool and make the second 50 meters of a 100-meter swim ‘wavy’ or choppy.”

How much of a difference does a deeper pool really make? Well, the Beijing Games’ Water Cube was specifically built for speed. The organizers (i.e., Chinese government) wanted the Olympics to be entertaining, and the swift waters of its iconic swimming venue were a key part of that plan.

With a Water Cube pool that was close to 10 feet deep — about 3 feet deeper than Paris’ pool — turbulence created by the swimmers’ strokes was minimized. The Beijing Games featured 65 Olympic records and 25 world records.

Technology is also being blamed for the slow conditions in Paris. The London Times reported that Bernd Berkhahn, Germany’s swimming coach, placed the blame for the slowness on the “clutter of tech furniture on the floor” — all of the under-water broadcast cameras and timing equipment. He believes the lights from all of that tech reflecting in the swimmers’ faces is having further adverse impact.

Gold medals are still being won at the Paris Games, and the achievement of being an Olympic champion can’t ever be diminished. There’s just a little less excitement and drama when winning times aren’t breaking world records.

Who knew life could be so slow in the hustle and bustle of Paris?