The 2016 Olympic Games have had quite a unique run this year. For those who have not kept up, Olympians have faced some strange situations throughout the Rio games. This year, the athletes are not the only thing stirring up conversations. Over the past week, there has been controversy over green swimming pools, inappropriately placed censorship boxes , marijuana allowances, and a record number of outed LGBTQ members competing in the games. The Rio Olympic Games are certainly going to be one for the books.
#GBR ‘s @JustinRose99 hits the first hole-in-one in Olympic history!!!???? #Golf #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/NkTxjdJBRV
— Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) August 11, 2016
The Breakdown of the Weirdness
Marijuana Allowances
You read it right, folks! The World Anti-Doping Agency has upped the allowance passable levels of THC during pregame testing for Olympic athletes. This year’s allowance is ten times that of the London Olympics. The 2016 Olympic Games have set the threshold to 150 nanograms per one milliliter of urine.
This new standard is in line with the legalization of recreational marijuana use in several states. The United States also contains 20 states where medicinal marijuana use is legal. It is becoming more and more a part of our culture, and the game officials are taking this matter into account. The rise will account for any recreational use an athlete might partake in before the actual competition. THC can remain in the body’s fat cells for several days, if not weeks, after initial use.
Green Swimming Pools
The 2016 Olympic games have produced two bright green swimming pools in the last few days. After swimmers reportedly complained that the water was too saturated with chlorine, treatment officials cut back on the chemical. This has now resulted in two algae-colored pools and plenty of controversy.
With the safety of the pools in question, it is ill-advised that athletes continue using them. A miscolored pool is no deadly issue, though. Officials say that it will not take long to correct the issue, but such a simple problem should have never arisen.
“The water is not supposed to be green,” said the vice-chairman of the Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group (PWTAG).
Inappropriately Placed Censorship Boxes
On several different occasions during the swimming competition of the Olympic games, NBC placed information bars over the naughty bits of the swimmers being featured. The obstruction did not necessarily help the situation as it made the athletes looks as though they were completely naked. Diving takes a bit of an exotic turn in this year’s Olympic games.
The score bar, in this instance, suggested much more than excellent water performance. Twitter hounds had a blast posting screenshots of the strange placement, and this isn’t the first time. The 2012 London Olympic games also had score box placement issues. Ladies and gentlemen, eat your hearts out!
Record Number Of LGBTQ Athletes
The 2016 Olympic Games had its first LGBTQ marriage proposal this year. After not winning a medal, rugby player Isadora Cerullo won the commitment of her partner, Marjorie Enya. Enya got down on one knee in from of Cerullo and all her teammates to propose marriage. She said yes!
It is estimated that there are currently 41 openly lesbian, gay, and bisexual Olympians competing in the Rio Olympics. The opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics also featured, for the first time ever, a transgender model.
Topping off the week’s events in the 2016 Olympic Games, Tom Daley, a diver for Great Britain, won a bronze medal and a loving message from his long-time partner and fiance, Dustin Lance Black. Black is an award-winning screenwriter who won an Oscar for the movie Milk .
[Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images]
