The organisers behind the 2016 Rio Olympic Games have finally come clean on the reason why one of their pools turned a murky, toxic waste-like green colour, admitting that the wrong chemicals were put into it on opening day.
The pool was the source of much internet discussion, and probably scared the hell out of the divers and water polo players who had to actually immerse themselves in the bloody thing, wondering if they’d come out with superpowers or extra limbs.
Organisers are now saying that a contractor at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre mistakenly poured around 80 litres of hydrogen peroxide into the pool on the day of the opening ceremony, neutralising the chlorine and confusing electronic regulation systems.
Numerous athletes have complained of stinging and itchy eyes in the pool, with an Australian water polo player asking to have his flushed out at half time. Synchronised divers, meanwhile, have said that they were unable to see their partners in the water.
After a week of gripes, organisers have said that they will drain a pool in the warm-up area and transfer almost four million litres of water to the competition one, so there’ll be a clean, fresh start for the synchronised swimmers.
Fronting up to the media, Rio 2016 representative Mario Andrada said:
“Of course, it is an embarrassment. We are hosting the Olympic Games and hosting the world’s best athletes. The water is not supposed to be an issue. This was an issue we could not solve quickly [but] we need to have water looking the way it should look.”
The synchronised swimming events kick off from Monday morning, Australian time.
Source: Reuters.
Photo: Adam Pretty / Getty.
