A lot of work has gone into preparing the Qwest Center for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials, which begin on Sunday, June 29 and continue through July 6.
Most impressive in the preparations has been the installation of two 800,000-gallon swimming pools in the arena and convention center. Each pool was specifically built for this event and shipped to Nebraska from Italy. It took about a week to put each pool together -- the warm-up pool was constructed in the convention center in early May, with the competition pool put together in the main arena later that month.
Once completed, the Omaha Fire Department helped pump water into each pool, taking about 10 hours to fill each pool to its 800,000-gallon capacity. Heaters were used to warm each pool to approximately 80 degrees, making them ready for competition in early June for the Mutual of Omaha Swimvitational, the final tune-up for athletes before the Olympic trials.
Some of the world's top swimmers will compete in Omaha for a shot at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Among the top competitors expected to participate are former Olympic medalists Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, Amanda Beard, Amanda Weir, Gabe Woodward, Peter Vanderkaay, Neil Walker and seven-time gold medalist Michael Phelps.
It's a unique opportunity for sports fans in the Midwest to witness Olympic-caliber competition, and Ticket Express has a limited number of tickets available for this event. Don't miss out on a great chance to see future Olympic gold medalists in action. Get your tickets for the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials with Ticket Express -- where no event is ever sold out.
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