“Of course it is an embarrassment because we are hosting the Olympic Games”, he said.
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Staff at the pools will transfer nearly four million litres of water from a warm up pool into the main pool prior to the start of the synchronised swimming events on Monday (Australian time).
The water in the diving well turned a dark shade of green on Tuesday and the larger pool began to turn the same colour the following day.
The move to drain the water comes after attempts to put chemicals in the pool to return it to familiar blue didn’t work.
It came to a head Friday morning when the pool was closed as the officials tried to treat the water.
The diving pool will remain in use.
Andrada also called it a “radical measure” but again said it was not a health risk to the athletes. The one used by water polo teams will be drained since it won’t be needed after Saturday, while the synchronized swimmers will continue to have use of their practice pool.
Rio 2016 spokesman Philip Wilkinson released a statement.
Nascimento says hydrogen peroxide may be to blame for the green coloring in the water.
Mario Andrada, a spokesman for Rio 2016, said the “radical measure” was necessary.
Asked if they had a Plan B, Andrada said: “We do but we always found Plan A is better than Plan B”.
Hydrogen peroxide is used in the cleaning of swimming pools but it should not be mixed with chlorine, Nascimento told reporters.
Long-time coach Buschkow said he had never seen anything of the kind, pointing also to problems at the facility with cold showers and empty warm-up tubs.
“If the pool doesn’t change, we do!” wrote German diver Stephan Feck on his Facebook page above a photo of he and his teammates, coloured green. From mutilated bodies washing ashore to concerns over the Zika virus, check out eight problems that Rio faces before the torch is even lit at the Opening Ceremonies.
We all know if a group of people (like officials in Rio) do something ridiculous (like allow athletes to compete in green water), then it’s only a matter of time before Twitter’s users spring into action.
The platform was wrecked because of weather conditions two days before the 10-kilometer women’s race.
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“The reason why [this happened], we haven’t solved it”.
