Rio Scandals: Is It Ready, Will The Place Kill You & More!

[Snipsa]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

It wouldn't surprise me to see South Africa bid once they get the money together. (and if they bid, they're getting it)

There is a large contingent of South Africans that really wants the OG to come here, but many of us feel the way you feel about Toronto.

 

We just don't have a city equiped enough to handle the whole world. Many are touting Cape Town or Durban, but I can't see it happening with the current infrastructure, and the money needed to get the infrastructure in place can much rather go to more important causes...

[NUguy514]

9 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

That's in effect what the IOC does.  The problem is that it has picked two host cities in a row (Sochi and Rio) that were disasters, and Pyeongchang doesn't look much better for 2018.   That's one of the biggest reasons that Tokyo won out for 2020, Beijing for 2022, and Rome, Paris, and Los Angeles are all on the short list for 2024, with Rome being the current front-runner.

The slight frontrunner at this point seems to be Paris, in part, I think, because it didn't get the 2012 Games.  Rome just elected an anti-Games mayor; it's not getting the Games.  It's really between Paris and LA.  I feel like NBC (and its astronomical payment to the IOC for broadcasting rights) will lean very heavily on the IOC to give LA the Games, and it would be a very profitable, seamless Games.  Plus, it will have been almost thirty years since the Summer Games have been in North America with Europe and Asia getting them twice each and Australia and South America once each in the interim; it might be time.  As an Olympics junkie, the thought is pretty exciting; as an Angeleno, the inevitable traffic apocalypse makes me want to go on vacation for two weeks should we actually get the Games.

[Daisy]

I would be pushing for LA (though Paris would be beautiful for a Games). We're spending nearly almost 3 straight Olympiads in Asia. I don't know how that will impact the television numbers. 

I don't know if NBC can make the IOC to give the Games where they'd prefer,  but i think in this case i'd be for it. 

[andromeda331]

4 minutes ago, Daisy said:

I would be pushing for LA (though Paris would be beautiful for a Games). We're spending nearly almost 3 straight Olympiads in Asia. I don't know how that will impact the television numbers. 

I don't know if NBC can make the IOC to give the Games where they'd prefer,  but i think in this case i'd be for it. 

I'd love for them to pick LA but Paris would be really beautiful and its been a long time since they last hosted the Summer Olympics.

[xaxat]

Rome is the front runner? Italy's economic prospects going forward are way worse than Brazil's when they submitted their bid.

But it's Europe. 

[SnideAsides]

Rome's favourite mostly by default. Paris would be a security nightmare, the IOC is clearly getting tired of the NBC/USOC bullying double act (and weren't happy with the bid being changed from Boston), and Hungary's government is essentially neo-nazi right now.

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I'd love for them to pick LA but Paris would be really beautiful and its been a long time since they last hosted the Summer Olympics.

It will have been exactly 100 years since they last did (1924).  But as SnideAsides pointed out, Paris would be a security nightmare (it hasn't even been nine months since the Paris terrorist attack that was their equivalent to our 9/11).

As for Los Angeles?  Twenty twenty-four will also mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Summer Games, so that would be fitting, but I personally would rather let Rome or Paris take 2024 and see Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, Salt Lake City, or Denver get the 2026 Winter Games, since that year marks our 250th birthday -- what better way to celebrate our Quarter-millennial than by partying with the world?

Edited August 6, 2016 by legaleagle53

[merylinkid]

Oh I would love for them to go back to Lake Placid for the 2026 games.   

But it's whoever puts together the best package (read perks for the IOC delegates).

I don't think the opening ceremonies went off badly for Brazil.   NBC = Nothing But Commercials is another matter.    Tear gassing protestors happens at a lot of Olympics.   Empty seats for the Opening is no big deal   Nothing majorly went wrong.   Let's hope its a sign of things to come.

[Daisy]

i am gladly willing to put on my naive cap on - but IOC delegates no longer get perks, or can be "bribed." the selection process and who goes, etc, is so random it doesn't benefit them (and there are more than one visit). the big scandal re: it totally changed that. 

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

It will have been exactly 100 years since they last did (1924).  But as SnideAsides pointed out, Paris would be a security nightmare (it hasn't even been nine months since the Paris terrorist attack that was their equivalent to our 9/11).

As for Los Angeles?  Twenty twenty-four will also mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Summer Games, so that would be fitting, but I personally would rather let Rome or Paris take 2024 and see Lake Placid, Squaw Valley, Salt Lake City, or Denver get the 2026 Winter Games, since that year marks our 250th birthday -- what better way to celebrate our Quarter-millennial than by partying with the world?I

I agree about Paris which is too bad since it has been so long since they last had the Summer Olympics and they gone through so much. Denver would be really cool. My parents were so excited when it got picked and so bummed when they ended up turning them down. I've always thought that would be the reason the IOC would never pick Denver again no matter how many times its bib again. The IOC seems like the type to do that because a city once rejected them. But maybe the lack of other options Denver might finally have a chance?

[Kromm]

7 hours ago, legaleagle53 said:

As for Los Angeles?  Twenty twenty-four will also mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Summer Games, so that would be fitting

Someone pointed out to me today that while 40 years may seem so long that the 1984 facilities are out of shape, that this is not the case because most of them have been maintained/updated since then for other reasons (mainly because USC is still using the ones in LA proper--and they've all been renovated in the past decade or so).

[Kromm]

58 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I agree about Paris which is too bad since it has been so long since they last had the Summer Olympics and they gone through so much. Denver would be really cool. My parents were so excited when it got picked and so bummed when they ended up turning them down. I've always thought that would be the reason the IOC would never pick Denver again no matter how many times its bib again. The IOC seems like the type to do that because a city once rejected them. But maybe the lack of other options Denver might finally have a chance?

Wait.  Wasn't Denver a WINTER pick, not a Summer?

[legaleagle53]

16 minutes ago, Kromm said:

Wait.  Wasn't Denver a WINTER pick, not a Summer?

Yes, which is why I was talking about it for the Winter Games in 2026.

[Kromm]

Hah! New scandal!  It's not even been reported on (I think this was a late game and just happened live).

Was just watching Beach Volleyball - China vs. Switzerland. They introduced a challenge system where they review a video recording and we saw this used and they STILL got it wrong.  Literally we saw the officials call up the challenge verdict on a video screen--showing the footage THEY saw... and say it was in favor of the Chinese. 

Meanwhile both the NBC commentators AND the Swiss team simultaneously pointed out that the recording ACTUALLY showed the Chinese illegally touching the net first and the Swiss doing so second.  So we've got the NBC folks talking about how the challenge verdict is absolute and you can't protest it, so the Swiss were just wasting their breath. 

So NBC goes off to a totally different segment, and the Chinese leave the volleyball court triumphant.  And... NBC then interrupts the new segment (a video tape of Tom Brokaw talking about the Amazon) and goes BACK to the Volleyball game and saying despite their new rules saying you can't challenge the challenge system... they just did so successfully.  And they call the Chinese BACK and start playing again.

That said, the Chinese still beat the Swiss in the end.

[selkie]

7 hours ago, merylinkid said:

But it's whoever puts together the best package (read perks for the IOC delegates).

 

 

There are a number of articles on the web that have a partial list of the demands of how IOC delegate get special treatment that are part of why Oslo pulled its bid for 2022- special immigration lines, special traffic lanes, full metal VIP treatment far better than what any active athlete gets. It was one of the last straws for the bid, which was already on rather shaky ground with the Norwegians even though it was probably a favorite with the IOC. it was a whole' This is utter BS, why would we sign up for this?' moment for the country, and they bailed shortly after those papers came out.

[andromeda331]

5 hours ago, Kromm said:

Wait.  Wasn't Denver a WINTER pick, not a Summer?

Denver originally won for the 1976 Winter Olympics. They won the bid in 1970 but ended up declining in 1972 after Colorado voters rejected using public funds for the games. The games were offered to Whistler who declined and they went to Innsbruck. Salt Lake City offered to host the games after Denver rejected them but were turned down. 

[legaleagle53]

And Russia is completely banned from the Paralympics for widespread doping: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/07/russia-kicked-out-rio-paralympics-doping/88363526/

[ratgirlagogo]

I love watching the Olympics but believe you me I thank my gods and goddesses that Mayor Bloomberg failed in his attempt to get the Olympics in NYC.  It's already a struggle here for anyone making less than a hundred grand a year - even the rents in the outer boroughs are increasingly beyond the reach of double-income middle class families.   If anything could actually push NYC off the cliff into truly third world territory, it would be funneling  those kinds of public monies  into building an Olympic Village.

[maraleia]

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

I love watching the Olympics but believe you me I thank my gods and goddesses that Mayor Bloomberg failed in his attempt to get the Olympics in NYC.  It's already a struggle here for anyone making less than a hundred grand a year - even the rents in the outer boroughs are increasingly beyond the reach of double-income middle class families.   If anything could actually push NYC off the cliff into truly third world territory, it would be funneling  those kinds of public monies  into building an Olympic Village.

I echo your comments regarding Chicago this year...especially with the situation regarding police shooting POC's in almost every major city in the US. Also, when the Olympics were in Atlanta (I lived there at the time) there weren't any issues like Rio is having but it made rental rates go sky high and consumer goods prices also rose.

Has anyone heard anything about the problems in the Olympic village being solved?

[SnideAsides]

Because it's not a day in Rio without a scandal affecting the Australians, Chinese media and Twitter users are having a tantrum because 400m freestyle gold medallist Mack Horton called silver medallist Sun Yang a drug cheat (which: not inaccurate; he got a minor doping ban in 2014). It's at the point where random Australian journalists are getting death threats on Twitter for commenting on the story.

[NUguy514]

Wait, how is what Horton said inaccurate?  Sun Yang did cheat by taking a performance-enhancing drug, so calling him a drug cheat wasn't inaccurate.  He may have served his three-month ban, but he did cheat there; he is also a bully and a total asshole, and Horton's close victory over him felt like karmic justice.

[katisha]

25 minutes ago, NUguy514 said:

Wait, how is what Horton said inaccurate?  Sun Yang did cheat by taking a performance-enhancing drug, so calling him a drug cheat wasn't inaccurate.  He may have served his three-month ban, but he did cheat there; he is also a bully and a total asshole, and Horton's close victory over him felt like karmic justice.

I guess the truth hurts. Is it too much to hope Mack can defeat Sun Yang again in the 1500?

[selkie]

The 'heart condition' that Sun was allegedly taking the drug in question for is significant enough that he'd be endangering his life by doing the training necessary to be an Olympic champion. China also had another 6 doping positives last year and is currently in a dispute with an unusually uncompliant FINA (who usually rubber stamps doping penalties issued at the national federation level) over what punishment, if any should be served.  The Chinese were trying to claim the old 'tainted meat' defense for a batch that involved clenobuterol, and let the athletes off with a warning but FINA was pushing for even one of those token three month suspensions that can usually be dated to a time when the athlete wouldn't have been competing anyways just like Sun's unpublished suspension just happened to fall.

Only half the recent Chinese batch of positives have had their named published at this point because it apparently takes them 9-15 months to retest a B sample over there, but as a consequence they've ended up leaving home some legit medal contenders who were originally named to the team. (There's some reading between the lines and assumptions about a 1:55 200 women's freestyler who had been training well was sent home from a training camp in the USA instead of going on to Rio from the swimming community.)

[SnideAsides]

France's Camille Lacourt on Sun Yang: "He pisses purple."

[cesstar]

And despite China calling for an apology from Mack/Australia, the IOC have said that they won't interfere. Australia's chef de mission has also backed up Mack and said that no apology will be forthcoming.

[dcalley]

Media bus attacked at Games

That article mentions that on Tuesday a shot fired at a police blimp went into a media tent.

[ExplainItAgain]

I posted this in the diving thread, but the diving well turned green overnight...

Olympic divers splash into green pool

[Kromm]

17 minutes ago, ExplainItAgain said:

I posted this in the diving thread, but the diving well turned green overnight...

Olympic divers splash into green pool

Oh lord. They can say they know the water is safe by NOT know why it is green?  Does that even make SENSE?

Article with theories: http://www.vox.com/2016/8/9/12417804/rio-olympics-2016-pool-green

 

For fun, twitter search #greenpool : https://twitter.com/search?q=%23greenpool&src=tyah&lang=en

Clorox, makers of bleach for example, immediately jumped on this and tweeted (and this is real):

Edited August 10, 2016 by Kromm

[ExplainItAgain]

9 minutes ago, Kromm said:

For fun, twitter search #greenpool : https://twitter.com/search?q=%23greenpool&src=tyah&lang=en

I love that Clorox got in a "bleachable moment" marketing tweet. Ha!

[Guest]

I've never seen a pool with tennis envy before.

[Kromm]

Realistically the only thing it could be is algae. It is not urine, okay?  Or suddenly and all at once rotting copper pipes. (EDIT - or apparently... it actually could be a combo of chlorine and manganese).

That said, the very fact that these people weren't able to SAY what it was is the thing that most makes them look like idiots (like they have no idea what they are doing). Also logically, as Clorox points out... chlorine should be preventing the algae. 

NY Times says: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/10/sports/olympics/during-diving-event-pool-transforms-from-crystal-blue-to-garishly-green.html

Quote

Steve Henderson, who owns AAA Pool Service in Santa Rosa, Calif., said that although he was not an expert on Brazilian swimming pools, there were two likely causes: a sudden algae bloom, which could be eradicated by zapping the pool with extra chlorine overnight; or a chemical reaction between chlorine and a metal in the water, most likely manganese.

“If they have manganese in the water, you will get a reaction depending on level of chlorination,” Henderson said. He said that it was a normal occurrence, as even a slight imbalance can cause a violent color change, and not a cause of alarm.

Still, he said, he found it puzzling that officials at the Games did not have a better explanation.

“I don’t know what they have down there in Rio, but any new commercial system, at least here in the U.S., is completely automated,” he said. “They self-test. If there’s an issue, everyone is alerted right away. I have some customers where I can monitor their pools from my phone.”

Edited August 10, 2016 by Kromm

[SnideAsides]

So that's where they've been hiding all the Russian drug tests.

[Guest]

I have a new conspiracy theory.

They needed a CGI green screen.  On Thursday, they'll debut the Rogue One trailer with Divers jumping into this space worm.

If the Olympics were on ABC, this would totally happen.

[Daisy]

They've cancelled Rowing again. This could be a scandal because A: Rowing (well any event) needs to be done on time for a myriad of reasons. This is the second time it's happened (lost an entire day of eventing) so B: they could eliminate repechage events, and if necessary, scrap semis etc. Medals would be awarded to the fastest times and that's it. 

The scandal?
Due to the winds, 1/2 the boats have been getting incredible head winds and breaking crazy times, while a lot of boats have been catching rollers and been incredibly slowed down. They are some angry boaters in Rio lemme tell you.  

[Kromm]

Olympic water polo pool follows diving facility in turning green, leaving competitors, spectators and officials confused... so what is really going on at the Rio Games?

This gets more comical constantly.  I mean making statements to the press they didn't know why it happened?  Then allowing it to happen to the OTHER pool? Good lord.

The UK's Independent has an even less complimentary take on this. Even BEFORE the 2nd pool turned green, just based on the lack of information and action on the first pool, they opined...: 

The green diving pool proves we were right to fear Rio’s ability to stage the Olympic Games: To say so risks exuding that air of western superiority that the British Olympic Association are so keen to guard against, but can you imagine the reaction if it had happened in London?

Quote

We are in the middle of the event which represents the pinnacle of competition for the world’s best divers, the event which they’ve focussed most of their waking hours on for at least the last year. And yet the Rio de Janeiro Olympics organisers can neither summon the energy nor the intelligence to offer an explanation for the change of colour, or even see to it that the problem is resolved.

For those nations competent in staging elite sport, every stone would have been turned over to restore the purity of the water and dignify the world’s best divers with the respect they deserve. But, as Japan and Australia battled it out in the water polo in the blue pool this morning, the green one remained, in just the same state as we had last seen it on Tuesday night. Not the mildest effort to rectify the problem, nor any evidence of an attempt to do so.

To say so risks exuding that air of western superiority that the British Olympic Association is so keen to guard against here, but can you imagine the reaction if the pool had turned green in London four years ago? It would have been nothing less than a national crisis. The engineers would have been put to work through the night – and we would have been put to work through the night to live blog their efforts.

The Rio organisers have not even graced us with an explanation for the change in colour. They say they've tested the water, that there's no risk to athletes’ health and that they're investigating further. Well, that’s ok then.

It takes minimal investigation to know that algae – living marine creatures which multiply in warm weather – cause a pool to turn green, and that an imbalance in the pool’s water chemicals, poor circulation, filtration or sanitation are the most likely reasons why algae would proliferate. 

How do you solve the problem? Get a good pool brush. Loosen the algae off the floor and sides of the pool. Then ‘shock’ the pool with chlorine. The treatment required really is as simple as that.

[Kromm]

Okay, a little YouTube searching. THIS guy in his video believes that a Green Pool needs to be drained.  He says it right in like the first minute of the video. I imagine with the amount of water involved in these Olympic pools and getting new FRESH water to them probably being impossible in a short time frame, that's the truth behind why that didn't happen here (if they even knew). 

 This other guy seems to feel it takes days to clean a green pool no matter what--it will go from Green to Cloudy instead and take days to go back to clear/blue. But he's VERY detailed. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I forget which thread I read it in, but one of the articles somewhere said if it was algae (article was from yesterday before they found out what it was) an overnight dose of chlorine would clear it up.

[Kromm]

19 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I forget which thread I read it in, but one of the articles somewhere said if it was algae (article was from yesterday before they found out what it was) an overnight dose of chlorine would clear it up.

That's not totally accurate. If you look around on YouTube or even ask pool owners who have had the problem themselves, the problem really takes longer to solve. The solution is super-doses of Chlorine and Algeacide, and the problem is that the amounts have to be so large that a.) the water is cloudy (not clear) for at least a day and b.) the Chlorine doesn't magically disappear.  I imagine most of us have swam in a mildly over-chlorinated pool before. But imagine trying to compete in one that's gotten triple that dose. 

Draining and replacing the water would seem to be best... but I bet it's impossible (because of how monstrous the pumps would have to be, as well as magically getting a few million gallons of CLEAN disease free water to that pool in a short period of time). 

And finally the idiots admit how this happened. If you thought this was embarrassing before?  

Quote

FINA said the reason for the discoloration, which was so severe that pairs divers could not the partner next to them when they submerged, was because the pool’s water tanks “ran out some of the chemicals” necessary for the water treatment process. 

 

Because you know... that's how it generally works. The eyes of the world are on you, your pool guy runs out of chemicals, and doesn't tell anybody! (and then you are caught flat footed when asked what happened).

Edited August 10, 2016 by Kromm

[FormerMod-a1]

5 minutes ago, Kromm said:

That's not totally accurate. If you look around on YouTube or even ask pool owners who have had the problem themselves, the problem really takes longer to solve. The solution is super-doses of Chlorine and Algeacide, and the problem is that the amounts have to be so large that a.) the water is cloudy (not clear) for at least a day and b.) the Chlorine doesn't magically disappear.  I imagine most of us have swam in a mildly over-chlorinated pool before. But imagine trying to compete in one that's gotten triple that dose. 

I actually do know all that, but given the time constraints I feel an over-chlorinated pool would be better than dark green.  I mean they rinse off every time they get out of the pool anyway,extra chlorine this one time is not going to harm anything.  As you said right after this, the normal fix can't be done over night - drain, refill, re-chemical, balance, etc.

[Kromm]

3 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I actually do know all that, but given the time constraints I feel an over-chlorinated pool would be better than dark green.  I mean they rinse off every time they get out of the pool anyway,extra chlorine this one time is not going to harm anything.  As you said right after this, the normal fix can't be done over night - drain, refill, re-chemical, balance, etc.

That might work for Diving.  But note that the OTHER pool is Water Polo. Where you stay in the pool for hours.

[Guest]

They got incredibly lucky that this happened at diving/water polo.

Can you imagine if the Swim warm up pool went green and the shit fit that would be thrown if Phelps and Team USA had to swim in it or forgo warming up.  And I'm not saying Phelps or Team USA would react any worse than any other athlete, but boy would everybody else.

[Kromm]

3 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

They got incredibly lucky that this happened at diving/water polo.

Can you imagine if the Swim warm up pool went green and the shit fit that would be thrown if Phelps and Team USA had to swim in it or forgo warming up.  And I'm not saying Phelps or Team USA would react any worse than any other athlete, but boy would everybody else.

Diving?  Yes. People are only in that water briefly.

The polo pool is going to be a real problem.  Admittedly the media exposure would have been worst in the main pool, but it ain't great here either. Unlike divers, or even people swimming laps, water polo players STAY in that water for hours. And while as people keep saying, algae itself isn't that harmful, what happens in that bacteria (stuff like E. Coli) piggybacks onto it and (especially if swallowed) that's certainly not automatically safe.  Also remember that algae makes pools slippery. Is that really a good idea when playing water polo?

And even treated, then you are trading bacteria and slip and falls for like triple the normal amount of chlorine (for at least a few days) and if you've even been in a pool with only a little too much chlorine you know it stings your eyes pretty bad. Now triple that.

[selkie]

31 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

They got incredibly lucky that this happened at diving/water polo.

Can you imagine if the Swim warm up pool went green and the shit fit that would be thrown if Phelps and Team USA had to swim in it or forgo warming up.  And I'm not saying Phelps or Team USA would react any worse than any other athlete, but boy would everybody else.

I can remember a few USA international B teams running into bad pool conditions over the years at events like the Goodwill Games (I think the pool for St. Petersburg  1994 was going off a chemical batch left over from the Soviet era) and a few of the Caribbean area Pan Am Games, and they've actually done well in that kind of thing because they've got a team culture that says, no things aren't going to be perfect, so suck it up and take advantage of other teams distracting themselves by freaking out over a little green water.

What's annoying is that the Brazilians actually normally do swimming pools quite well- they've hosted their fair share of major aquatic events over the years and the worst I've heard for anything in a natatorium there was a need to spray more for mosquitoes in the warm up pool area at Maria Lenk Trophy meet this year.

[Guest]

I was imagining announcer and NBC freakout rather than team freak out.

[kalystia1983]

2 hours ago, Kromm said:

Diving?  Yes. People are only in that water briefly.

The polo pool is going to be a real problem.  Admittedly the media exposure would have been worst in the main pool, but it ain't great here either. Unlike divers, or even people swimming laps, water polo players STAY in that water for hours. And while as people keep saying, algae itself isn't that harmful, what happens in that bacteria (stuff like E. Coli) piggybacks onto it and (especially if swallowed) that's certainly not automatically safe.  Also remember that algae makes pools slippery. Is that really a good idea when playing water polo?

And even treated, then you are trading bacteria and slip and falls for like triple the normal amount of chlorine (for at least a few days) and if you've even been in a pool with only a little too much chlorine you know it stings your eyes pretty bad. Now triple that.

Also, starting this weekend they are going to be using the pool for synchronized swimming...where you don't wear goggles and have to open your eyes underwater so you don't get kicked in the head on lifts etc. (at least that's how the team I swam on used to do it)  Also, for synchro one of the best parts of watching in my opinion is the under water camera.  Here's hoping this gets fixed quickly.

[Kromm]

As predicted (well here at least) the Water Polo players who have to stay immersed in the pool for entire matches are complaining about the effects of the super-heavy levels of chlorine needed to solve the situation that should never have existed in the first place (the algae infested water).

Quote

"I could barely open my eyes for the final quarter, Team USA men's water polo captain Tony Azevedo told reporters after the team beat France on Wednesday, The Washington Post reports. "This is the Olympic Games and they are putting so much chlorine in the water that people can't see. You can't have that." 

Quote

"My eyes hurt from the water, it's not good," Hungary's Gergo Zalanki told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Post. "It feels like they added more chlorine to the water but I'm not sure. I'm used to it because we have a lot of water like this in Hungary, but I think there might be something else wrong too." 

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm surprised that chlorine is still the go-to chemical. The pool at the health club I belong to switched to other chemicals a few years ago, and I would assume that a brand new facility like the Olympics pool would be up-to-date.  I actually miss the chlorine smell on my skin after spending some time in the water.

[Kromm]

7 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm surprised that chlorine is still the go-to chemical. The pool at the health club I belong to switched to other chemicals a few years ago, and I would assume that a brand new facility like the Olympics pool would be up-to-date.  I actually miss the chlorine smell on my skin after spending some time in the water.

That I bet is for maintenance.  Once the pool is already infested with algae (and presumably bacteria) I wonder if that's when you need the hammer instead.

From what I understand, the chlorine isn't the whole fix for the algae. The algeaicide is.  But the chlorine does something to the algae to allow the algeaicide to act faster.

[xaxat]

If the mighty NFL can fuck up a field to the point where it is unplayable, then I'm willing to put the pool incident into the "shit happens" category and not an indictment of he games as a whole.

[Aliconehead]

I put this in media coverage but thought I would post it here too  

some dipshit reporter from Daily Beast did a story on dating apps like tinder and grinder and the proceeded to OUT the athletes that responded by giving their sex, sport and country. 

 

Did is he not realize that this could have real consequences like I don't know, death to gay athletes in non tolerant countries?!?!?