Despite high expectations for record-breaking performances in the Paris pool, only one world record has been set after the first five nights of competition.
Now, athletes, officials, and commentators are questioning whether architecture, scheduling, or COVID-19 is to blame.
Here’s what you need to know.
Olympic records, world records
In Tokyo, six world records were set in the swimming program.
In Rio, it was eight, in London it was nine, and in Beijing it was a whopping 25.
While there are still a few nights on the swimming program in Paris, questions have begun to be asked as to why the number of world records looks to be so drastically different in 2024.
Pool depth
In Paris, the pool is 2.15m deep, shallower than the depth recommended by World Aquatics of 2.5m.
Most competition pools are even deeper than that — the pool that hosted the U.S. trials is 2.8m deep. In the Beijing Games, swimmers competed in a 3m deep pool.
The pool in Paris has been built in a stadium (recently the venue of Taylor Swift’s Paris concerts) to accommodate the most spectators.
When architectural plans were approved in 2019, it passed World Aquatics’ guidelines.
Here’s the theory behind water depth: The shallower the pool, the more turbulence swimmers create when they’re racing.
The movement in the water they create rebounds off the bottom, which is closer to the surface in a shallower pool.
This turbulence can make them go marginally slower, especially around the turns where they may have to swim against small waves.
Other factors
It’s not just pool depth to blame for the lack of record breaking.
Coaches and athletes also said the three years between Games instead of the usual four, (since the Tokyo Games were delayed because COVID-19), were disruptive to strict preparation schedules, and fewer world-class competition opportunities arose between Olympics.
Australian silver medallist Kyle Chalmers said the increased crowd of 15,000 may mean some athletes feel greater performance pressure than they would in smaller venues.
Speaking on the lack of world records, Chalmers told AAP: “It doesn’t matter about times… it’s about getting your hand on the wall first and winning the race. The times are never really all that remembered”.
Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh also dismissed the issue, telling media: “It’s an Olympic pool. I don’t think any Olympic pool should really be called slow. No matter what, everybody’s racing in the same pool.”
Torin Koos, a spokesperson for World Aquatics, pushed back on criticism of the Paris facility, pointing to the nine Olympic records (not world records) set in the first 20 events at the Games.
