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---
title: Rio 2016 Olympics: How Did the Pools Turn Green?
description: As the Rio 2016 Olympic water polo and diving pools remain green, a Rio official said that &quot;chemistry is not an exact science&quot;
canonical: https://time.com/4451260/rio-2016-olympics-green-pools-chemistry/
author: Alexandra Sifferlin
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2016-08-13T13:07:33.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T23:57:55.711Z
article:section: Sports
og:title: Rio Official on the Green Pools: ‘Chemistry Is Not an Exact Science’
og:description: The pools started to change early last week
og:url: https://time.com/4451260/rio-2016-olympics-green-pools-chemistry/
og:site_name: TIME
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og:image:width: 1200
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og:image:alt: Water Polo - Olympics: Day 5
og:type: article
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:title: Rio Official on the Green Pools: ‘Chemistry Is Not an Exact Science’
twitter:description: The pools started to change early last week
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3727bd386e523048/6988a2488e0601253f46722c/green-pool.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=3840&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3727bd386e523048/6988a2488e0601253f46722c/green-pool.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Rio Official on the Green Pools: ‘Chemistry Is Not an Exact Science'

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by 

[Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/)


## Alexandra Sifferlin


Aug 13, 2016 1:07 PM UTC

![Water Polo - Olympics: Day 5](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3727bd386e523048/6988a2488e0601253f46722c/green-pool.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 10: A view during Men's Preliminary Round - Group A, Match 14 Greece vs Hungary at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre on August 10, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 10: A view during Men's Preliminary Round - Group A, Match 14 Greece vs Hungary at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre on August 10, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)Tom Pennington—Getty Images

by 

[Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/)


## Alexandra Sifferlin


Aug 13, 2016 1:07 PM UTC

As the water polo and diving pools at the Olympics [remain a murky shade of green](http://time.com/4446210/water-rio-olympics-pool-green-blue-algae/), Rio officials said they’re not clear on how the [“proliferation of algea”](http://time.com/4446210/water-rio-olympics-pool-green-blue-algae/) was able to grow, according to the Associated Press.

“We first learned that chemistry is not an exact science,” Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada [told the AP](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2b16ff9d52c340e2b23bb883aca1022c/column-not-easy-going-green-olympic-diving-pool) Friday.

The pools at the Olympics are thought to have changed colors due to algae growth that officials said was caused by [heat and a lack of wind](http://time.com/4446210/water-rio-olympics-pool-green-blue-algae/). Other experts say chemical imbalances are what can cause algae to grow in pools. The pools started to change early last week, and according to the AP, underwater cameras have captured “amoebae-like shapes” in the water.

> [](https://twitter.com/TomDaley1994/status/763089368022192129)

[As the AP reports](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2b16ff9d52c340e2b23bb883aca1022c/column-not-easy-going-green-olympic-diving-pool), some scientists argue that preventing algae and green pools is a pretty simple science. “The basic principles of maintaining disinfectant, proper pH, and circulation and filtration are scientifically sound and well established,” [said](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2b16ff9d52c340e2b23bb883aca1022c/column-not-easy-going-green-olympic-diving-pool) Tom Lachocki, executive director of the National Swimming Pool Foundation in Colorado Springs.

Officials are reportedly using chlorine to get the pools back to their normal shade.

\[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2b16ff9d52c340e2b23bb883aca1022c/column-not-easy-going-green-olympic-diving-pool)\]

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