Paris, July 30, 2024, The Europe Today: The men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed due to elevated pollution levels in the Seine River, World Triathlon announced in a statement.
The race is now rescheduled for Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. (0845 GMT), following the women’s event, which will take place at 8 a.m.
This decision is a setback for organizers who had expressed confidence that water quality would improve in time for the race, despite heavy rains last Friday and Saturday that contaminated the river.
“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,” organizers said.
The 55 triathletes who were set to compete on Tuesday now face additional uncertainty. World Triathlon will meet with coaches at 8 a.m. on Tuesday to provide updates and the revised schedule for the race.
Should bacteria levels remain too high by Wednesday morning, both the men’s and women’s races could be postponed to Friday, the designated contingency day. The mixed triathlon relay event scheduled for August 5 has a contingency day on August 6.
Paris authorities have pledged to make the Seine swimmable as a key legacy of the Games, investing 1.4 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in wastewater infrastructure to reduce sewage and minimize spillage into the river.
Earlier this month, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim in the Seine to demonstrate the river’s improved water quality and to convince skeptics.
However, the gamble that the river would be clean enough for the triathlon was never guaranteed to pay off, as water quality can fluctuate significantly day-to-day. Rainfall can notably increase the concentrations of infection-causing bacteria like E. coli and enterococci.
The decision to postpone highlights the ongoing challenges in ensuring a safe and clean environment for Olympic athletes and underscores the importance of continued efforts to improve water quality in urban rivers.
