Hong Kong’s Olympics rowing coach surprised to find Rio water ‘remarkably clear’ – but he’s not about to try a taste test
The four-strong team are more concerned about strong winds that have affected their ability to train on the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon
Pollution? What pollution? Swallowing three teaspoons of Guanabara Bay juice is reportedly all it takes to bring down a hardy Olympic sailor but the rowers at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon venue are almost tempted - but not quite - to sup the relatively crystal clear waters of the lake course, according to Hong Kong coach Chris Perry.
Perry said the main concern for rowers is the strong winds blowing through gaps in the nearby Corcovado mountain, which forced several training sessions to be abandoned.
“Funnily enough, the water quality is not an issue,” said Perry, who has four rowers in Rio in the men’s and women’s lightweight double sculls. “It is surprisingly clear, and there are no pieces of rubbish as we expected.
“Of course, I’m not going to go out there and drink it but it’s remarkably clear and I think a lot of people are fairly surprised. We had a TV crew out here and they were surprised to look down at the water and see the bottom of the lake.”
Hong Kong’s main delegation arrived in Rio on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning HK time) tired and weary after a day’s journey halfway around the world but relieved to have just missed getting caught by Typhoon Nida.