American swimming is thinking big for the Paris 2024 Games. The proof is the decision of its federation, USA Swimming, to organise the Olympic trials in an American football stadium. The federation announced on Tuesday 29 March that the trials for the Paris 2024 Games will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium, the gigantic NFL stadium of the Indianapolis Colts. The last four Olympic trials have been held in Omaha, Nebraska, in a temporary pool that seats about 14,500 people. But USA Swimming wants to push the envelope again, with a capacity of 35,000 spectators in Indianapolis. Three temporary pools will be installed above the football field at Lucas Oil Stadium. The 50-metre competition pool will be set up at one end, with a curtain separating it from the two warm-up pools – one 50 metres, the other 25 metres – set up away from the stands. The Indiana Convention Center, a large complex directly connected to the stadium, will also be used to house the US Swimming Federation’s fan zone and hospitality area. The exact dates of the trials have not yet been set, but they are expected to take place in mid to late June, about a month before the start of the Paris Olympics.
