On December 28th, the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center was “inaugurated” to much fanfare. This date marked exactly 200 days until the beginning of the 2011 Shanghai World Championships. Below is a series of pictures from the ceremony. To see more, check out the full slide-show on the Official FINA 2011 website.
View from the stands of the outdoor pool that will seat 5,000 spectators. This pool is, weather permitting, expected to host the diving events. The height of the platforms gives a great perspective of how truly massive this structure is.
A great shot of the smaller indoor 5,000 seat arena that is expected to host water polo and synchronized swimming.
Front view of the landscaping that has gone in as well as the larger, 18,000 seat arena that will host the main swimming competition.
Indoor view of the larger 18,000 seat arena that will host the main swimming competition. This arena is laid out more like a basketball arena than a natatorium, including press boxes and luxury suites. This will be a great venue if organizers can get it filled.
Milt will not through himself in the middle of it, but is an excellent resource, that seems to be exactly the relationship he likes to maintain. He also is good for discussing funding options and pool design concerns that will promote operational success. Good luck!
We are on the beginning stages of getting a 1st class facility in Neb. Through the channels, a parent board member cornered the Mayor at church to talk about it. Apprently, the pieces are in place in several areas that are needed to get things going, but they have never been brought together for this. Now the ball is actually starting to roll and those that know certain aspects of getting a facility are beginning to meet and communicate, it will be an exciting 18 months to say the least.
Axe? My sophomore year at Nebraska, we got cut right after conference. in 2001 I know the feeling…
Thanks for the contact person, I will keep them in mind as… Read more »
@CoachEric, ya you are right, i am not in Nebraska, so i don’t know all the details. I am sorry if i came across callous. My LSC is in a real mess too. Everyone has unique situations. USS has a pool/facilities development department now, they are very knowledgeable and friendly, call Milt and talk it through. He might be able to help you find a path to building and owning the premier facility in Nebraska, cant win the game if you wont pick up the ball. 🙂
I understand the college issue all to well. I have witnessed the axing 1st hand… it sucks! I have also sent swimmers off to classically good college teams, to recieve word a year… Read more »
Surfer, we have plenty of shallower pools for developmental swimming between high schools and private health clubs. There are private lesson programs through out Lincoln and a new Swimtastic franchise starting here. But aside from that, there isn’t an adequate facility to host bigger meets and bring elite swimming to this area. We have a collegiate team towards the bottom of the big 12 and next year it moves to the big 10 where the depth is even greater. If you have not been to this area and know the history of Lincoln swimming, you don’t know what us club coaches are running up against.
We are not looking for a huge swim stadium but a pool that is usable… Read more »
Great swimmers and teams will rekindle swimming in local areas, not huge swim stadiums. We have relied on colleges and high schools for this and they are understandably tired of footing the bill. I don’t really see a need for stadiums (except occasionally), unless we are going to start a pro-league, the grand-prix are far from that scale.
‘elite’ 50m all-deep pools are not very good for developmental level swimming. It is better to have several locations with smaller, lower cost, beginner friendly (and easier to maintain) 40′ wide x 25y indoor development centers. It would be disastrous for USS to build a permanent super stadium of swimming, as was being suggested. Talk about $$$million tide up ($15-20mil + maintance).… Read more »
Surfer, storage and movement costs money, a lot of money that can go to other things USA Swimming should be in the business of, see my list above.
Lets say, for example, in the state of Nebraska where I live and coach we have 1 indoor , 6 lane, 50M facility that is out of date and charging $150 an hour. We have four, three by 2012, outdoor 50 meter facilities in the state to host our championship event in the summer one of which is the only equiped with secondary (SCM) pool for warm-down.
The possibility of having one or both of those pools stay in Nebraska is huge in rekindling the desire for elite level swimming in the… Read more »
What a complete waste of money. These nations need more facilities for developing youth learn to swim programs. Why are they building monster sports centers that are seasonal and useless to the average citizen.
with temporary pool technology where it is today, building a mega swim stadium in a country that has a limited spectator population (then expecting all fans/athletes/coaches to always travel all the way across the country) is illogical. It could just as fairly be argued that the site should be in FL, TX, or MD. Temporary pools as have been used for the last 2 trials are more financially viable, provide a stadium experience, and the flexibility to bring swimming to different areas. What i don’t understand, is why USS keeps selling the above ground pools off after each event, when they could reuse them at different arenas. It seems akin to buying a new car and selling it to buy… Read more »