[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":97},["ShallowReactive",2],{"latest-published-pool-number":3,"page-\u002Fpool\u002Fhamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai":4,"surround-\u002Fpool\u002Fhamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai":88},303,{"id":5,"title":6,"address":7,"body":8,"city":52,"country":53,"date":54,"description":55,"device":56,"distance":57,"extension":58,"featured_image":59,"gallery":60,"googlemap":66,"lanes":67,"latitude":68,"length":69,"longitude":70,"meta":71,"metaDescription":72,"metaTitle":72,"navigation":73,"ogImage":72,"pace":74,"path":75,"pool":76,"published":73,"rating":77,"review":78,"robots":72,"schemaOrg":72,"seo":79,"setupLanes":72,"setupLength":72,"setupUnits":72,"sitemap":80,"state":52,"stem":82,"tags":83,"type":85,"units":86,"url":72,"__hash__":87},"pools\u002Fpool\u002F115.hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai.md","Hamdan Sports Complex (Competition pool)","Exit 611, Opp. Global Village - Emirates Rd - Dubai, United Arab Emirates",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":48},"minimark",[11,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45],[12,13,14],"p",{},"I first attempted to swim this pool in 2017. I remember a very expensive 30-minute Uber journey out into what was more desert, less developed at the time, only for security to turn us away at the gate as they were preparing for a competition that weekend! Was I an athlete? No. I decided on a shorter return hop to the Dubai Mall for some retail therapy!",[12,16,17],{},"Not wanting to make the same mistake this time, I've triple-checked the timetable (open all day until 10pm!) and given the events calendar and a good look over - the pool is open (I hope).",[12,19,20],{},"It's already been a long day. I arrived into Dubai on the overnight flight from Heathrow at 6:30am. Had some hassle sorting a hire car from the hotel agents. Visited a trade show at Dubai World Trade Centre. Then finally, negotiated Dubai rush-hour traffic, leaving the venue for the 12-mile, 30-minute drive out of the city to the sports complex - making a few wrong turns on the way! It's dark by the time I arrive.",[12,22,23],{},"The stadium appears on the horizon as an enormous blue led hue from the highway. I'm approaching from the North, so I have to drive past a couple of miles to the next exit to loop back onto the other carriageway. There is a new residential estate opposite the pool now; I recall four years ago, this was an empty open desert, with infrastructure like roads, bike lanes and swimming pools installed and ready; I can imagine the area will be fully developed within the next 10 years.",[12,25,26],{},"The service road approaches the stadium from the rear; I'm a little concerned as the place looks deserted! Hold my breath as I pass the security hut, Circle around the stadium past a go-cart track, and then suddenly, the place comes to life. A swim training session must have just finished as quite a few people still clad in swim gear are heading out to the car park.",[12,28,29],{},"Make my way through the huge bunker-style entrance to reception; the 65 AED (£14 \u002F $17) entry fee is quite acceptable, considering what you're getting for the money. I then have to send a photo of my driving license and complete a questionnaire on WhatsApp - a first for me but quite common in the UAE. I'm then given a personal guide to the men's changing rooms. Otherwise, I would have snapped a selfie under the 'athletes only' sign!",[12,31,32],{},"The changing rooms are surprisingly small, but making my way out to the pool deck, the size is stunning. The pool is surrounded by a 4,000-seater stadium stretching up to the vast interior's rafters; from the pool level, it looks bigger than Old Trafford! The 50m pool is capped by a second 25x25m diving pool with an array of boards floating from the wall, accessed by a tidy hidden series of platforms and staircases on the other side of the wall.",[12,34,35],{},"A quick chat with the guy on the lifeguard desk (yep, an entire desk here!) and ask if I'm correct in thinking there is a second pool behind the wall of diving boards - yes, there is, only it's currently closed for swim lessons and set up with 25m lanes. Oh well, just the one new pool for the list tonight.",[12,37,38],{},"Eight of the 10 lanes are empty, so naturally, I head for the centre and select lane six, hoping for some Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte 2010 Dubai Fina championships vibes! Jump in and make a start. The pool water is the perfect (cold) temperature; I read on the website the pool is solar-heated - which makes sense in Dubai!",[12,40,41],{},"This is a proper FINA-regulation Olympic pool with (I think) a fully moveable floor. This is the first 50m pool I've swum in where the entire floor is set at the proper 3m depth. Swimming in deeper water always feels slow; this isn't helping my first 1km time!",[12,43,44],{},"Take a break and get distracted; centred above the pool is a ginormous four-sided 200\" jumbo tron screen showing a live local football match; I've no idea who is playing, but my next 1km is peppered with regular long breaks to enjoy the novelty of the big screen!",[12,46,47],{},"Finish up a somewhat slow swim, and jump out feeling tired after a long day... but as I'm heading back to the changing rooms past the lifeguard desk, i'm told the training pool is now open! I'm sure I can manage another 1km, so through the wall of boards I go to find a second huge 50m training\u002Fwarm-up pool. To be continued ...",{"title":49,"searchDepth":50,"depth":50,"links":51},"",2,[],"Dubai","UAE","2023-05-01","Stunning swim stadium with two huge 50m pools!","Garmin Swim 2 Watch",2000,"md","hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-square.jpg",[59,61,62,63,64,65],"hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-length.jpg","hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-screen.jpg","hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-diving-boards.jpg","hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-sign.jpg","hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai-exterior.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fgoo.gl\u002Fmaps\u002F3gD2Q9FpbvzTkRUD6?coh=178571&entry=tt","10",25.0513,50,55.318,{},null,true,"1:34","\u002Fpool\u002Fhamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai",115,98,"Simply stunning! The entry fee was a very reasonable 65 AED (£14 \u002F $17). Definitely check the event timetable to make sure there is nothing on, but otherwise, I believe the competition pool has public lane swimming much of the day, every day and is permanently set up in the full 50-meter format. The training pool does have a more complicated timetable to accommodate swim lessons, clubs etc. The pool is approximately a 20-30 minute drive out of town from most areas of Dubai.",{"title":6,"description":55},{"loc":75,"lastmod":81},"2025-05-29","pool\u002F115.hamdan-sports-complex-competition-pool-dubai",[53,84],"favourite","Indoor","m","k8roqoSbVRJKjfTAe5eGH4EeXaSYOt_TEofDUoGWN1o",[89,93],{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"children":-1},"Hamdan Sports Complex (Training pool)","\u002Fpool\u002Fhamdan-sports-complex-training-pool-dubai","pool\u002F116.hamdan-sports-complex-training-pool-dubai",{"title":94,"path":95,"stem":96,"children":-1},"Chase Leisure Centre","\u002Fpool\u002Fchase-leisure-centre-pool-cannock-uk","pool\u002F114.chase-leisure-centre-pool-cannock-uk",1789678153084]