Olympics: Men's triathlon postponed over Seine water worries
July 30, 2024
The men's Olympic triathlon at the 2024 Paris Games, initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed due to concerns about water quality in the Seine River, World Triathlon said in a statement.
The race is now scheduled for Wednesday, after the planned women's event.
"Despite the improvement of water quality levels over the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits," the organizers said early on Tuesday.
"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes."
Earlier on both Sunday and Monday, concerns over water quality led to the cancellation of the swimming portion of training events that help triathletes familiarize themselves with the course.
Incoming storms might impact water quality
The levels of bacteria in the Seine have been impacted by recent heavy rains. Rainfall generally causes levels of E.coli and other bacteria in the river to rise.
Storms forecasted by Meteo-France, the French weather service, for Tuesday and Thursday may also affect the rescheduling of the water events.
Meanwhile, if conditions do not improve by Wednesday, both events may be postponed till Friday. If the water quality remains unsuitable, the contingency plan is to switch to a duathlon, skipping the swimming event.
Billions spent to clean up Seine
Tuesday's decision follows extensive efforts by Paris to improve the long-polluted Seine's water quality. The clean-up efforts cost the city $1.5 billion (€1.39 billion).
Two weeks ago, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, along with other officials, swam in the river to convince people that their efforts had borne fruit.
Data released last week show that E.coli levels slightly at the Bras Marie site of the Seine River were above the established threshold that day. High levels of E.coli in water can indicate contamination from sewage.
The pollutants in the river also forced athletes to adopt unconventional training methods.
US athlete Seth Rider, one of 55 triathletes in the men's race, said in a press conference on Saturday that, knowing there would be E. coli exposure, he tried to increase his tolerance by exposing himself to small amounts of E. coli in daily life.
ss/rc (AP, AFP, Reuters)