RIO DE JANEIRO — The second day of an Olympic canoeing test event on Saturday brought more complaints about weeds floating in the course, with canoeists saying it was too shallow and needed to be dredged.
The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon is also the venue for rowing in next year’s Olympics.
The lagoon in central Rio has been the focus of concern — along with separate venues for sailing, triathlon, and open-water swimming — since The Associated Press published its own independent study six weeks ago showing high viral levels from sewage contamination in all of Rio’s Olympic water venues.
Portuguese canoeist Fernando Pimenta says “the race course must be cleaned, removing as many weeds as possible.”
On Friday, German canoeist Franziska Weber described the water as “red and brown. It’s not the typical water colour.”
Source:: sportsnet.ca