Spare a thought for the Olympic divers. They have worked their entire lives for a shot at an Olympic medal and when they get to Rio, it seems as though they're being asked to dive into a vat of slime.
It was quite the talking point earlier this week when the previously aquamarine hue of the pools turned distinctly snot-green overnight -- but if you thought that was the most interesting thing to happen to the two outdoor pools this week think again because now they apparently 'smell like farts'.
German diver Stephan Feck is due to compete in the three-metre springboard on Monday had wanted to get in some training in the Olympic pool only to find that they had been closed to the athletes. There was another development though.
As he wrote on Facebook:
After not being allowed into the green lagoon, Feck was forced to 'dry' train on a trampoline after fears as to the safety of the pools. Several athletes have complained of stinging eyes after spending time in the water - Australian water polo player Richie Campbell among them.
I don't know what's happened. I think they bumped up the chlorine or something because my eyes are stinging. It hurts at the end of the game and we'll probably get teary eyes for the next couple of hours but that's alright. I felt it more towards the end. It wasn't too bad in the water but now it's really starting to sting.
But why, exactly, are the pools turning green in the first place? Officials in Rio are blaming a "proliferation" of algae for the change in hue and have, quite hilariously, declared:
We first learned that chemistry is not an exact science.
Experts on the subject have stated that a lack of disinfectant, an improper pH level and a lack of circulation is to blame for the problem. Worryingly, the pools are now said to be hosting "amoebae-like shapes" according to the AP.
Chlorine is now being heavily used to combat the problem buyt, as Richie Campbell describes above, that is beginning to present its own problems.
