The diving pool at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre in Rio de Janeiro turned into a swampy green mat before the women’s 10-meter synchronized diving finals on Tuesday.
British diver Tom Daley shared an image of the diving pool, which had a prevalently different hue compared with the water polo and synchronized swimming pool beside it, on his Twitter account.
Ermmm…what happened?! pic.twitter.com/pdta7EpP2k
— Tom Daley (@TomDaley1994) August 9, 2016
There were speculations regarding the cause of the color change, including the sinking of chlorine levels and the formation of algae. Some onlookers attributed the sudden color change to the Brazilian flag, which has a dynamic shade of green.
Canadian diver Meaghan Benfeito, who won bronze, told Business Insider that the greenish color helped her. “It’s not the same color as the sky so that was really on our side today,” she expounded.
Meanwhile, the Rio organizers assured the public that the pool was safe and said they were investigating the matter. Gianna Francesca Catolico
The water quality at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre was tested and there were no risks for the athletes. We are investigating the cause.
— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) August 9, 2016