Something in the water at the Rio Olympics has caused two outdoor pools to turn green. While officials have maintained that there is no risk associated with the unsettling color, the diving pool was closed on Friday morning.
British diver Tom Daley tweeted the news and expressed concern over the fact that he and other athletes had been swimming in the green water.
Diving pool is closed this morning. Hopefully that means we haven't been diving in anything too bad the last couple of days!
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) August 12, 2016
There have been differing explanations as to what caused the water to turn green. Some say algae is the culprit while others claim a change in alkalinity accounts for the disturbing tint. While the water had been declared safe, water polo players began complaining earlier in the week that their eyes were burning.
According to one reporter in Rio, the color wasn’t the only issue with the water:
The Olympic diving pool has been closed again because of water quality issues…a German diver says "the whole building smells like a fart"
— Tom Steinfort (@tomsteinfort) August 12, 2016
It’s unclear what will be done about the color of the water or when the diving pool will be reopened. What we do know is that green water is one of many issues (let’s not forget this indoor waterfall) athletes have dealt with at the Olympics. Safe or not, it’s yet another bad look for Rio.
UPDATE: The Associated Press reported that the pool reopened in the early afternoon after a cleaning on Friday, though it remained green and murky.
Photo via Beth Harris on Twitter
