During the opening ceremony, the Rio Olympics organizers talked about a green environment.
They were not talking about the pools at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre.
But on Tuesday, the water in the pool where the divers for the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform competed — officially called a diving well — was dark green.
The green hue seen in the water was due to a proliferation of algae caused by the heat and lack of wind in the venue, said the Rio 2016 Local Organizing Committee.
In a statement released to the media, the committee stressed that the water was tested and there was no risk to athletes. It also said the diving well should be back to its normal color for the events on Wednesday.
Divers react
Meanwhile, the adjacent pool at the aquatics center, where water polo is being contested, looked normal.
British diver Tom Daley, who took bronze in the men’s synchronized 10 meter platform, shared his confusion at the vastly different colored pools.
While David Boudia, a US men’s diver who won silver on Monday night, wondered whether St. Patrick’s Day was being celebrated.
Canadian Meaghan Befeito, who took bronze in the women’s 10 meter synchronized platform, said the green color may actually have her helped performance — provided she kept her mouth shut.
“It’s not the same color as the sky, so that was really on our side today,” she said.
“The only thing we said is, ‘Don’t open your mouth in the water.’ Just in case.”
Internet dives in
It didn’t take long for the Internet to offer up its own imaginative take on the green shade.
Commenters joked that it was nice of Shrek to loan his swamp to the Olympics, while others shared pictures of Kermit the frog and swamp monsters.