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See Olympic Swim Trials pools inside Lucas Oil Stadium

Pools nearly complete for U.S. Olympic Trials

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Lucas Oil Stadium has quite a versatility to host a wide range of events.

It’s gearing up for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in just three weeks with the construction of a giant pool.

John Ireland, chief technical officer for Florida-based Myrtha Pools, said Wednesday, “What you see behind me is a 50 meter-by-26 meter Olympic competition pool. This is essentially identical to the pools Myrtha is currently building in Paris for the Olympics.

This year marks the sixth Olympic Trials that USA Swimming is hosting in Indianapolis. The unique aspect this time around is the venue, an NFL stadium, elevating the event to a whole new level.

“The technology is a modular stainless steel panel, so we can assemble the panels very quickly and very accurately, which is what is so important for competitive swimming. Ultimately, this pool you see here is staying in Indiana.”

“To be honest, this one’s easier than some of the ones I’ve done in the past. In 2012, we had to do this exact same build except in seven days. So, the 16 we have now seems like a luxury.”

More than 1,000 athletes will vie for 52 spots on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team in front of record-breaking crowds in Indianapolis, with two pools being installed in the center of the stadium, making it flawlessly perfect for the athletes.

Shana Ferguson, chief commercial officer for USA Swimming, said, “The pools are just shy of 3 meters deep; same depth throughout with zero current, zero flow. It needs to be a perfectly still pool certainly,” says .

With above-ground pools, they need to feel as if they are in-ground pools, creating quite an illusion for spectators.

Ferguson said, “1.8 million gallons of water for all the pools in Lucas Oil Stadium. We have one 10-lane, 50-meter competition pool. Then, on the other side of the arena we have a 10-lane, 50-meter pool and a seven-lane, 25-meter pool for warmup and cool-down.”

The nine-day and nine-night event is expected to bring a positive economic impact to Indiana, with an expected $100 million in revenue.

“Every one of the nine nights of this event, from June 15-23, there will be Olympians named to the team, and I want to make that very clear. You don’t have to wait until the last night” to attend the trials and see winners.

The water will start going into the pools at 6 a.m. Thursday.

Photos below are from News 8’s Reyna Revelle.