Games organizers assured the Rio Olympics diving pool will be back to its blue color later on Wednesday, "blaming a drop in alkalinity levels for an uninviting green hue during competition on Tuesday," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. The water in the pool was bright green on Tuesday, "baffling competitors" in the women's 10m synchronized event, who said that "they could not see their partner underwater." The "mysterious shade of the water, which contrasted sharply against the blue of the water polo pool beside it, was also clearly visible on television to millions of viewers around the world, many of whom joked about algae and dye on social media." The Intl Swimming Federation (FINA) "blamed a lack of chemicals in the system." It said in a statement, "FINA can confirm that the reason for the unusual water colour... is that the water tanks ran out some of the chemicals used in the water treatment process." Organizers said that "tests at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre's diving pool were conducted regularly and the quality of the water was no threat to the divers' health" (REUTERS, 8/10). The BBC's Aimee Lewis reported Britain's Tonia Couch, who finished fifth alongside Lois Toulson, said, "I've never dived in anything like it. We noticed it in the warm-up and then by the competition it was even more green."
Couch said that the new color "had made it easier to spot where the surface was while they were spinning through the air, insisting it had not impacted on the result" (BBC, 8/10). In London, Alex Bywater wrote the water polo action on Wednesday "saw those competing plunge into water which while not as murky as the pool next door, was also noticeably beginning to turn green" (DAILY MAIL, 8/10).
