22 Olympic Games competitions are held in long course pools only. In what order are the strokes performed in an individual medley race? Individual medley 100 metres races and 50 freestyle and medley metres relays are disputed in short course pools only. SWIMMING COMPETITIONS Competition pools Swimming pools can be divided into long course and short course pools. Long course pools are 50 metres long, while short course ones are 25 metres long. Pools hosting World Championship races must have eight lanes, while Olympic pools must have ten lanes at least 2.5 metres wide; the minimum depth required is two metres . National and international competitions are generally held in short course pools in the autumn and winter season and in long course ones in the spring and summer season. Starting platform Lane rope Lane markings 50 m 15 m 5m Lane 0 Lane 1 Lane 2 Lane 3 25 m Lane 4 Lane 5 Lane 6 Lane 7 2,5 m Lane 8 Lane 9 False start rope Backstroke turn indicator Backstroke turn indicator Competition pools are equipped with starting blocks and automatic officiating equipment, such as touchpads and sensors to ensure the legality of relay takeovers. course: vasca medley: misto officiating: da arbitro relay: staffetta takeover: cambio 46 TO GO Individual competitions Individual swimming competitions can involve one of the four strokes at a time, or they can be medley races. In a medley race, competitors swim all the four strokes. Individual single stroke races are disputed on 50, 100, and 200 metres length. Individual freestyle competitions, in addition, also have 400, 800 and 1,500 metres races; 800 metres are for women, 1,500 for men only. Individual medley races are disputed over lengths of 100, 200, and 400 metres . Team competitions Competitive swimming also has team races, called relays. Relays are disputed by teams of four swimmers, usually all male or female; mixed relays teams, which are made up of two men and two women, are also admitted in some competitions such as the Olympic Games. There are two different types of relays: Freestyle relays: contestants alternate in swimming freestyle over 50, 100, and 200 metre distances; Medley relays: each of the contestants swims in one different stroke. Medley relays are disputed over 50 metre and 100 metre distances . Open water competitions Open water competitions are not held in pools, but in open waters such as a lake or sea. Swimmers both men and women compete over 5-, 10-, and 25-kilometre races. However, only the 10 kilometres event is included in the Olympic Games.