Team GB swimmer speaks out over 'slow pool' conspiracy that could be impacting race times
One of the stars of Team GB's swimming team has spoken out about the rumours of a 'slow' pool at the Paris Olympics which is thought to be impacting athletes' race times.
Since the sporting event kicked off last month the French capital has been hit with a number of accusations that it was ill-equipped to host the games.
From rumours about the water quality in the River Seine to athletes complaining about their rooms in the Olympic village, it seems like the games hasn't had much of a break in the past couple of days.
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One of the latest complaints to do the rounds on social media is the idea that the pools at the La Défense Arena are slowing swimmers down.
What is a slow swimming pool?
The complaints around 'slow swimming pools' originate from the water depth of the pools being used.
The pools specially created at rugby stadium La Défense are reported to be 2.15 metres deep. This is shallower than the 2.5 metre depth recommended by the World Aquatics for an Olympic competition.
Now this may not sound like much to non-swimmers, but the depth of a pool can have a huge impact on how the water moves around the basin; with a shallower pool meaning it is choppier - and therefore harder - to swim in for an athlete and when it comes to an Olympic race, every millisecond counts.
Myrtha Pools' US director has assured athletes and viewers that the difference in the depth of a pool is 'nothing' - however this hasn't stopped several athletes from speaking out.
What are the athletes saying about the 'slow' swimming pool?
The latest person to speak on the matter is Team GB star Jacob Whittle, who recently came fifth in the Men's 100m Freestyle and Men's Freestyle Relay.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun, Whittle compared the pool to swimming in the sea.
"It's a tough pool to swim in, tough when you're on an outside lane," he explained.
"It's just one of them pools, some pools feel great, some pools don't, a few waves, feels a bit strange being a bit shallower, nothing that we can't deal with."
He continued: "It's a bit like swimming in the sea but not to that extent. There's a lot of waves when coming out of the turn.
"But it's nothing to a high extreme, it's like the 0.1 of a second, but it's just something mentally that you have to deal with."
It's also important to note that while the pool has been receiving heat from athletes a world record has been broken at La Défense, with China's Pan Zhanle completing the Men's 100m Freestyle in just 46.40 seconds.
Plus, all of the swimmers are competing alongside one another in the same pool, meaning that it won't make them at any lesser chance of beating their opponents and losing out on a medal.
Brenna Cooper