According to FINA, the waters transformed to green from blue due to the depletion of several water treatment chemicals in the tank, causing athletes difficulties to locate their partners after a dive.
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But on Tuesday the water in the pool where the divers for the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform competed – officially called a diving well – was dark green.
“We confirm that diving training in Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre pool is canceled”, spokesman Philip Wilkinson said.
Meanwhile Hungarian water polo player Gergo Zalanki said the pool was hurting his eyes, and questioned whether it was chlorine or something else.
“We have treated both pools during the night and the alkalinity levels have already improved”, Andrada said. “Obviously, the people in charge of maintaining the pool and of checking could and should have done more intensive tests”.
Diving went ahead amid assurances the water was safe, but when the polo pool next to it began to turn, the fun and games were over and journalists demanded answers.
It’s a major embarrassment for Olympic organizers, who have been caught out in a way that would put a local swimming pool to shame. The same green color was in the same pool during the three-member springboard diving event.
Yet Hernandez threw cold water on the theory that athletes changed the pool from blue to green by adding “yellow”, so to speak.
“They put way too much chlorine”, USA captain Tony Azevedo said. Storey also suggests that the pools have not been properly maintained, saying, “The best way to stop algae is to prevent it in the first place by maintaining a good pool sanitising regime”.
The Olympic swimming pools have become the talk of the games so far.
There had been speculations that algae may have been the cause, but officials have blamed a “chemical imbalance” in the water which is now affecting the adjacent pool.
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But no fear, we’ve found out why the water turned such an alarming shade – and no it wasn’t because someone used it as a toilet.
