Triathlon Swimming Training Cancelled For Second Day Due To Seine Water Quality
Heavy rain has compromised the water quality in the River Seine, forcing the cancellation of swimming training sessions for Olympic triathletes for the second day in a row. With just 24 hours until the men’s triathlon, this disruption has raised concerns about the upcoming events.
The biking and running segments of the triathlon training continued as planned, unaffected by the water quality issues.
The men’s race is scheduled for Tuesday 8am local time (6am GMT), while the women’s race is set for Wednesday 8am local time (6am GMT). Organisers have contingency plans to move the individual races to August 1st and 2nd, and the mixed relay to August 6th if water quality does not improve.
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon Confident Water Quality Will Improve In Time For Triathlon
Significant rainfall can cause untreated sewage to enter the river, deteriorating water quality. Despite heavy investments of around $1.4 billion to improve wastewater infrastructure and reduce sewage flow into the Seine, the rain continues to pose challenges.
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon emphasised that the health of the athletes is their top priority. They are confident that water quality will improve in time for the competitions, but if it doesn't, the swimming portion might be cancelled, turning the triathlon into a duathlon, which only includes the bike and run segments.
"The tests carried out in the Seine [on 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,” Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said.
Paris has planned for the Seine to become a legacy of the Games, with aims to create three swimming sites for public use by next year. However, the recent rains have highlighted the ongoing issues with maintaining safe water quality in the river.
The persistent rain not only affected the triathlon but also delayed other events like men’s skateboarding, which will take place today instead of over the weekend. Despite these challenges, organisers remain optimistic.
"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," they stated.
The open water 10km swimming events scheduled for August 8 and 9 might be relocated to Vaires-sur-Marne if the Seine’s water quality does not improve.
