Putting aside the fact that, LOL, there’s a lifeguard at the Olympic pool, doesn’t it look like he’s working at a lake or pond somewhere rather than a pool?
Well, he is at a pool because as pretty much everyone who has been watching the Olympics knows a couple of the pools there turned a very yucky-looking green. And the reason why is almost incomprehensible.
According to FINA, the international federation of swimming…
FINA can confirm that the reason for the unusual water colour observed during the Rio 2016 diving competitions is that the water tanks ran out some of the chemicals used in the water treatment process. As a result the pH level of the water was outside the usual range, causing the discolouration. 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.
The water tanks ran out of of some chemicals? Aren’t there like a million people employed by the Olympics in Rio? Shouldn’t, I don’t know, SOMEONE have been in charge of keeping an eye on that?
And despite what FINA says about the water being safe, one expert begs to differ…
The chemicals mentioned by officials are likely a reference to disinfectant, according to Ralph Riley, an expert from the London-based Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group.
“If it has gone green and that is because there is not enough disinfectant there would be some kind of implied risk,” Riley told USA TODAY Sports by telephone before the FINA announcement. Riley said his group strongly advised against swimming in green water.
So what did the folks in Rio to to remedy the problem? Dump in tons and tons of chlorine which just ended up causing a whole NEW problem, according to the Washington Post…
“I could barely open my eyes for the final quarter,” Team USA men’s water polo captain Tony Azevedo [shown competing yesterday below] told reporters after their 6-3 victory over France on Wednesday. “This is the Olympic Games and they are putting so much chlorine in the water that people can’t see. You can’t have that.”
Hungary’s Gergo Zalanki agreed.
“My eyes hurt from the water, it’s not good,” he said after his game against Greece on Wednesday that ended in an 8-8 draw. “It feels like they added more chlorine to the water but I’m not sure. I’m used to it because we have a lot of water like this in Hungary, but I think there might be something else wrong too.”
LOL Rio. What will you screw up next?
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