Olympic Triathletes will be swimming in the Seine for the first time on the day of their races, after the last possible familiarisation swim was cancelled due to the river’s poor water quality.
The daily test of the water which is due to hold the swimming section of the men’s and women’s triathlon deemed it unfit for competitors, raising fears about the suitability of the setting for Tuesday’s men’s race. The women’s event is due to take place on Wednesday.
Organisers have blamed the heavy rain which fell in Paris from Friday evening onwards, but after a dry Sunday it was hoped the water quality would have improved enough for athletes to practise in the river on Monday morning. Familiarisation sessions for the bicycle and running components of the race are going ahead as planned, but there will now be no chance for triathletes to size up the untried Seine section of their race.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that the priority is the health of the athletes,” said a joint statement from the Olympics organisers and triathlon governing body. “The tests carried out in the Seine yesterday [Sunday] revealed water quality levels that in the view of the international federation, World Triathlon, did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held. This is due to rain that has fallen on Paris on 26 and 27 July.”
No rain is forecast currently for Monday which organisers hope will ensure the swimming section can go ahead as planned. Water quality and the presence of bacteria such as E. coli is always adversely affected by precipitation, but drier spells tend to lead to swift improvement.
”Given the weather forecast for the next 36 hours, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon are confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions on July 30,” said the joint statement. “As observed in July, with summer conditions (more sunshine, higher temperatures, prolonged absence of rain) water quality in the Seine has improved significantly.”
Source Agencies
