Lago Brugge Olympia - Provinciaal Topsportbad

This is a great facility with extensive hours for lap swim and a nice combination of 50m and 25m lanes in the same pool.

You get a bracelet with an RF-chip that opens the locker of your choice - no need to bring a lock. Shoes must be taken off before entering the locker room, but no flip-flops or swim caps are required. The only unusual feature is a requirement that men not wear brief-style suits; they must be boxer shape Speedos or jammers.

The Koninklijke Brugse Zwemkring swim team has both a well-developed youth (development+ national) team and a Masters team. It is coached by Stefaan Maine, a former Olympian who competed in the Barcelona games - he is really friendly. He kindly included my children in their age-group/performance team practices, calling out the sets in multiple languages.

The facility is divided into the "fun" pool (Subtropisch Zwemparadijs) and the "sport" pool. You get a chip arm band when you pay and that is used to enter the pool and for locking your locker. To lock the locker press the chip on the button on the locker. When it clicks, it is locked. If you forget which locker is yours, there is a chip reader that will tell you what locker you have when you hold the arm band to the reader. If you pay to use the fun pool, it is coded in your armband and you have to present it to a reader to get in the pool. When you leave the facility, you scan your armband and a little door opens up to take the armband and the gate is opened.

When I was there on a Saturday the place was packed and there were no change cabins available, when I was leaving. The shower area and toilet stalls are unisex/coed. There is a handicap restroom that no one was using even though there was a line for the toilet stalls. On this day, the whole change area was way too small for the business they were doing.

The sport pool was very nice with three, 50 meter lanes and twelve, 25 meter lanes roped off. The water was pretty clear and not too hot for lap swimming.

The kids did migrate over from the fun pool, but they seemed to stay away from the 50 meter lanes. Lap swimming was possible even on this busy day.