Short course (swimming)
In competitive swimming, the term short course is used to identify a swimming pool that is in length. The term is also often included in meet names when conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration currently recognized by World Aquatics and other swimming bodies for pool competition; the other/primary pool length being "long course", where the pool is 50 meters in length. Swimming events at the Olympics and at the World Aquatics Championships are conducted in a long-course pool. The "World Aquatics Swimming Championships ", colloquially the "short-course worlds", are held in alternate years from the long-course worlds. Short-course competitions may be held in a longer pool into which a temporary barrier has been placed 25 metres from one end as a turning point.
In the United States, the term "short course" is more commonly applied to competition, which is more common in that country. Short-course yards is generally abbreviated as "SCY" to differentiate it from short course meters. The US national federations, USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming, both maintain SCY USA records; FINA does not currently recognize records set in SCY, but does recognize/keep SCM records. USA college and high school swimming are traditionally swum in SCY.
Short-course meter competitions are also denoted by listing of the actual meter distance: "25m".
Lists of world and other records are kept separately for short- and long-course events; the short-course time is usually faster than the long-course record for the same distance. This is assumed to be connected to the increased number of turns and hence wall push-offs, where swimmers can get powerful leverage from the wall.