Men’s Olympic triathlon postponed due to concerns over polluted Paris’ Seine River
30 July 2024, 10:52
The men's Olympic triathlon in Paris has been postponed because of worries about the quality of water in the Seine river.
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The race was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, with the swimming happening in the famous waterway, but now organisers will attempt to hold the event on Wednesday instead.
The women’s competition is also scheduled on Wednesday, but both are subject to water tests.
Friday is also planned as a backup date.
However, according to the French weather service Meteo-France, storms are forecast for Tuesday night, with light rain on Wednesday afternoon and further storms on Wednesday, which could cast doubt on the rescheduling of events.
Heavy rains generally cause levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine to rise.
During the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, Paris experienced a heavy downpour with rain continuing into Saturday.
In addition, the swimming part of the training events, which was meant to help triathletes familiarise themselves with the course was cancelled on both Sunday and Monday, due to concerns about the water quality.
The decision to postpone the men's triathlon came after a meeting on early Tuesday morning which included the sport's governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials.
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In a statement announcing the postponement, organisers stressed that their "priority is the health of the athletes".
They added: "Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits."
The men's event is now due to happen at 10:45am, meaning heat will become more of a factor.
Wednesday's high temperature is forecast to be 35C and the event may end during the hottest part of the day.
The women’s race is set to kick off at 8am on Wednesday, as originally planned.
Organisers and city officials have expressed their confidence that bacteria levels will improve with clearer skies and temperatures warming in the following days, but that reassurance has not been sufficient to ensure the safety of athletes.
Paris made a considerable effort to improve the quality of water in the long-polluted Seine, so the swimming part of the triathlon and marathon swimming event in August might take place in the waterway, but bacteria levels remain in flux.
Daily water quality tests measure levels of faecal bacteria known as E. coli, with a safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres determined by European rules.
The monitoring group Eau de Paris releases data each Friday, but it is updated only through the previous Tuesday.
High levels of E. coli in water can indicate contamination from sewage.
The majority of strains are harmless, and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals - but others can be dangerous.
Just one mouthful of contaminated water can lead to diarrhea, and the germ can cause illnesses such as infections in the urinary tract or in the intestines.
Efforts to ensure the river is suitable for swimming cost 1.4 billion euros.
They include the building of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and stop wastewater from flowing into the river, upgrading wastewater treatment plans and renovating sewer infrastructure.
Two weeks ago Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo publicly took a swim in the river, along with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, and the main government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, alongside swimmers from local swimming clubs.
Last week data showed that E.coli levels at the Bras Marie were at 985 units per 100 milliliters that day, which is just above the established threshold.
Other swimming events planned in the Seine are the triathlon mixed relay on August 5, and the women’s and men’s marathon swimming events on August 8 and August 9.
