RATS are scampering around the deck of Kowloon Park swimming pool, which is used for training by the Hongkong team, even though officials say they have taken measures to stamp out the problem after a dead rat was found at the bottom of the pool last month.
Early morning swimmers report frequent sightings of rats on the deck of the complex's 50-metre pool and one swimmer said he had seen what appeared to be blood near the pool edge.
The swimmers, members of Hongkong's national swimming team, were especially shaken when they saw a drowned rat at the bottom of the pool early last month as they reported for their daily 5.30 am session.
After the incident, the Urban Services Department, which manages Kowloon Park pool, said it called in pest control and had the Architectural Services Department put wire mesh on ducts and other possible entrances for the rats.
But the rats have continued to appear.
One young swimmer, who asked not to be identified, said he saw at least one rat most mornings, either on the deck or coming out from under the diving blocks.
Last year, one swimmer killed a rat, he said.