For the second time, another pool became green.
Divers and independent water experts have been very skeptical when the water polo pool at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has started to turn green, only 24 hours after the diving pool did the same.
On Thursday (Brazil Time), organisers were embarrassed when algae in the water caused the dive pool at Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre to lose its bright, clear blue colour and take on a murky shade of green.
Images from poolside on Wednesday appeared to show the water polo pool, which is adjacent to the diving water, changing to a similar colour.
Swimming pools, in case anyone is unclear, are supposed to be a shade of azure.
Rio’s organizing committee and FINA, the world governing body for swimming and diving, insisted the water posed no danger to athletes. But the divers and independent water experts have been very skeptical.
FINA said the reason for the discoloration, which was so severe that pairs divers could not see the partner next to them when they submerged, was because the pool’s water tanks “ran out some of the chemicals” necessary for the water treatment process. A water polo pool adjacent to the diving well also is green.
“As a result the pH level of the water was outside the usual range, causing the discoloration,” FINA said. “The FINA Sport Medicine Committee conducted tests on the water quality and concluded that there was no risk to the health and safety of the athletes, and no reason for the competition to be affected.”
Rio spokesman Mario Andrada insisted the “water will be blue from now on” after water experts spent Wednesday morning carrying out a series of tests.
There are now so many explanations about the case. Andrada says a sudden change in alkalinity is the culprit.
“We expect the color to be back to blue soon,” Andrada said, adding there is “absolutely no risk to the athletes or anybody.”
Following the change in the dive pool, water treatment experts have warned that its safety is uncertain.