Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second straight day Monday. Organizers overseeing the event at the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday. The sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring the bacteria levels below the necessary limits to stage the swim portion of the race, which also includes biking and running.
Quick Read
- Triathlon cancels Olympic swim training for 2nd day over poor water quality in the Seine
- Concerns over the water quality in the Seine River led to the cancellation of the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second consecutive day on Monday.
- Event organizers remain optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the Seine when the competition begins on Tuesday, hoping for sunny weather and higher temperatures to reduce bacteria levels.
- World Triathlon, its medical team, and city officials made the decision to cancel the swim workout early Monday after evaluating water quality, which was affected by recent heavy rainfall.
- The decision was based on tests conducted on Sunday, which showed bacteria levels in the Seine that did not meet safety standards.
- French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra expressed confidence in the measures taken to control bacteria levels, despite the unpredictable weather.
- The backup plan involves postponing events or converting the race into a duathlon if bacteria levels remain elevated.
- Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century due to poor water quality, but organizers have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prepare the river for the Olympics.
- In addition to the men’s triathlon on Tuesday, the women’s triathlon on Wednesday, and the triathlon mixed relay on Monday, the Seine is also scheduled to host marathon swimming competitions on Aug. 8 and 9.
- Recent measures to improve water quality include building a giant basin to capture excess rainwater, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
- Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo publicly swam in the river two weeks before the Olympic events to demonstrate confidence in the river’s improved water quality.
The Associated Press has the story:
Triathlon cancels Olympic swim training for 2nd day over poor water quality in the Seine
Newslooks- PARIS (AP) —
Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second straight day Monday. Organizers overseeing the event at the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday. The sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring the bacteria levels below the necessary limits to stage the swim portion of the race, which also includes biking and running.
World Triathlon made the decision to cancel the swim workout early Monday following a meeting over water quality in the Seine, which is closely linked to the weather. Rain deluged Friday’s opening ceremony and showers persisted Saturday, forcing some tennis matches and the skateboarding competition to be postponed. The representatives for Paris 2024 and triathlon’s international federation said tests conducted in the Seine on Sunday showed water quality levels leading into the training session that “did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.” The delegation blamed the recent rain.
French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told French news channel CNEWS on Monday that officials are “absolutely serene about all of this.” The plans they put in place to control bacteria levels in the river have been effective, but the weather is beyond their control, she said. The recent rain contributed to the water quality concerns, but she said she believed things would improve. “I am confident in the fact that we will be able to be there tomorrow for the men’s triathlon event,” she said. Organizers say the backup plan is to postpone the events and, if elevated bacteria levels persist, the swimming portion of the race will be abandoned and the athletes will compete in a duathlon.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century in big part because of the poor water quality. Organizers have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prepare the river ahead of the Olympics. In addition to the swimming part of the men’s triathlon Tuesday, the women’s triathlon Wednesday and the triathlon mixed relay Monday, the Seine is expected be used for the marathon swimming competitions on Aug. 8 and 9.
Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, followed by recent improvements. Some of the measures put in place to improve the water quality include the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a very public swim in the river about two weeks before Olympic events were set to start, hoping to ease fears about the long-polluted waterway being clean enough to host swimming competitions.
