Diving at the 2016 Summer Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro hosted diving events from August 7 to 20 at the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center in Barra da Tijuca. Alongside swimming, water polo, and synchronised swimming, it was one of four aquatic sports on the program. Eight events were contested: men’s and women’s 3m springboard, synchronized 3m springboard, 10m platform, and synchronized 10m platform. A maximum of 136 athletes could compete, and all had to be at least 14 years old by December 31, 2016.

On Tuesday, August 9, the diving well’s water turned dark green. Initially, heat and a lack of wind were blamed, but a CNN photographer’s image showed that an adjacent pool at the same venue remained clear. Olympic officials later confirmed that 160 liters of hydrogen peroxide had been mistakenly added during cleaning, causing the color change.

China topped the medal table for the eighth consecutive Games. For the fourth time in that stretch, they missed a clean sweep of diving golds by one event: Great Britain’s Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won the men’s synchronized 3m springboard, giving their nation its first ever gold medal in the discipline.

**Qualification**

No nation could qualify more than 16 divers (up to eight men and eight women). In individual events, a country could enter up to two divers; in synchronized events, only one pair per nation. Spots went to the nation, not the individual diver, though a diver could earn only one spot for their country.

For individual events, qualification came from: the top 12 finishers at the 2015 World Championships; the five continental champions; and up to 18 semi-finalists from the 2016 FINA Diving World Cup.

For synchronized events, qualification came from: the top three finishers at the 2015 World Championships; the top four at the 2016 World Cup; and the host nation (Brazil).

**Participating nations**

136 athletes from 29 nations competed.

**Schedule**

All times are Brasília Time (UTC-3).