Paris: The men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics has been postponed due to high pollution levels in the Seine River, World Triathlon announced. The race, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will now take place on Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. (0845 GMT), immediately following the women’s triathlon, which is set for 8 a.m. on the same day.
Organisers had expressed confidence that water quality would improve in time for the event after heavy rainfall last week caused significant contamination in the river. However, despite recent improvements, water quality readings at several points along the swim course still exceed acceptable limits.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes,” stated the organisers. If the bacteria levels remain too high by Wednesday morning, then both the men’s and women’s races could be postponed to Friday, a contingency day set aside for such events.
If water quality does not improve by Friday, the swim segment will be cancelled, and athletes will compete in a duathlon instead. The mixed triathlon relay event, scheduled for August 5, has a contingency day of August 6.
Paris authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in wastewater treatment and infrastructure to ensure the Seine is good enough for swimming. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo even took a swim in the river earlier this month to demonstrate its safety.
The quality of the Seine’s water fluctuates significantly, with rain adding more to the bacterial contamination. The uncertainty surrounding the race highlights ongoing challenges in ensuring the river meets the required health standards for the Olympic events.
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