Here’s The Real Reason Why The Olympic Diving Pool Turned Green

Olympic Diving Pool Turns Green

Long Story Short

If you’ve been watching the Olympics this week, you probably saw the Olympic Diving Pool that turned green. When divers showed up for more diving events on Tuesday, the diving well they jump into was suddenly a strange dark green color. After tons of Internet jokes and all sorts of speculation, the Rio 2016 Local Organizing Committee finally explained what went wrong.

Sorry Guys, It Wasn’t A Cannabis Celebration

Almost immediately, social media started blowing up with jokes and speculations about the green diving well.  On Twitter, people joked that the pool was dyed to match the Brazilian flag. U.S. diver David Boudia wondered if the whole thing was some weird belated St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

At Green Rush Daily, we were hoping the green pool was a not-so-subtle nod to the cannabis community. You never know, that could’ve been what was going on. When Pennsylvania legalized medical cannabis, the Governor lit the Capitol building with green lights. So couldn’t the Olympics be doing the same kind of thing?

Unfortunately, that’s not at all what happened.

GRD

The Organizing Committee released a statement explaining what went wrong. They said that the water changed color due to a proliferation of algae. The explosive algae growth happened because the pool was getting too hot and there wasn’t enough air or wind circulation.

The Committee also said that they tested the water and that it was perfectly safe for athletes to swim in. But not everyone was convinced. Canadian diver Meaghan Befeito advised divers: “Don’t open your mouth in the water. Just in case.”

According to the Organizing Committee, the water should be back to its normal color in time for tonight’s events.

A Giant Social Media Joke

The entire thing quickly blew up into a giant Internet joke. People took to social media, especially Twitter, to crack jokes about the green swimming pool.

By the end of the day, people had compared the pool to Shrek’s swamp, to some freaky scene out of “Deliverance,” and to the perfect home for swamp monsters.

After the Organizing Committee’s statement, the jokes have started to slow down. But the real test will come tonight when divers show up for the next round of events. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see if Rio can get the algae cleaned up in time.