Making a splash, USA Swimming unveils pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Local leaders made a splash in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Local leaders came together to unveil the swimming pool for this month’s USA Olympic Team Trials.
It took crews 19 days to build the competition pool. USA Swimming Chief Commercial Officer Shana Ferguson says there are still some finishing touches before more than 1,000 athletes arrive on June 11.
“We’re just so so so thrilled to be here,” Ferguson said. “So, we hope it goes off without a hitch. We’ve been planning it in earnest for three years. So, as soon as we stepped off the pool deck in the 2021 Olympic trials, we started working on this one.”
Since this is the first time the trials will be held in an NFL Stadium, organizers hope it can make swimming popular beyond an Olympic year.
Patrick Talty, with the Indiana Sports Corporation, says it’s also about community impact.
“People coming to visit, it’s meaningful to the city,” Talty said. “Meaningful to the residents because that economic impact is coming from outside central Indiana, and it’s money that’s being left here.”
Even though the event is still over a week away, USA Swimming is already looking forward to returning to an NFL Stadium and the Circle City.
“We wouldn’t want to downgrade,” Talty said. “Of course we want to be in a big arena. We want the bright lights and the Hollywood aspect of swimming to come alive in Lucas Oil Stadium again.”
Talty says the Sports Corp. will look to bid for the event again.
During a press conference, Talty said this year’s trials will make a splash.
“We’re going to break the indoor swimming world record in Indiana,” Talty said. “On [June 15], you can be a part of the record.”
That record was set back in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. About 16,000 people went to watch swimming events there.
The capacity for swimming at Lucas Oil Stadium is 30,000 people.
Making a splash, USA Swimming unveils pool inside Lucas Oil Stadium
Crews working on building the Olympic-sized pool for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in May 2024. (WISH Photo/Reyna Revelle)
