Bottle Caps and Can Tabs are Prohibited at Rio-2016
Brazilians and foreigners who been in the Olympic facilities during the first five days of the competition have experienced something unusual: they haven't been allowed to keep the bottle caps and can tabs on water and soft drinks that they have bought.
"Sir, due to security concerns, I can't sell you the bottle with the cap on it, OK?" warns the salesperson, who is worried about heading off complaints before opening the product.
That it's an anti-violence measure, is all that a specialist capable of explaining exactly what the reason is for the precaution being taken by the Rio-2016 Committee can say: Salvador Nogueira, is a journalist and author of the Mensageiro Sideral (Sidereal Messenger) blog, hosted by Folha.
The scientific explanation is this: a closed bottle or can that is thrown goes farther and falls with much more force than one which is open, because the liquid ends up spilling out of the open one during the trajectory.
"A closed bottle or can goes about five meters farther and maintains all of the liquid inside. While an open one travels less, and also falls practically empty", says Nogueira.
"While it's true that in both cases the vandal-spectator has the ability to interfere with the performance of the athletes. But, with the open bottle, the chance of injuring them is a lot less", he concluded.
Translated by LLOYD HARDER