Paris 2024 Triathlon Events in Jeopardy as River Seine Contamination Persists
Olympic officials have canceled a second day of swim training for triathletes in the River Seine in Paris due to water contamination caused by weekend showers. The decision raises concerns about the viability of the triathlon events scheduled to begin on Tuesday, July 30.
“The tests carried out in the Seine revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held,” stated a joint statement from Paris 2024 organizers and World Triathlon. “This is due to rain that has fallen on Paris on 26 and 27 July.”
The River Seine is set to host the triathlon events, including the men’s and women’s individual races, as well as marathon swimming events in August. However, if the river’s quality does not meet the required standards by Tuesday, organizers have two reserve days on August 2 and 3.
Open-water 10km swimming events are scheduled for August 8 and 9 and could be moved to the Marne River if necessary. If the water quality does not improve by the reserve days, the event may be converted into a duathlon, with swimming canceled.
“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 30 July,” organizers said.
The contamination issue stems from heavy rainfall in Paris, which has led to pollutants entering the river. Despite efforts to clean the Seine in preparation for the Olympics, water quality tests have shown unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria.
In 2015, Olympic organizers invested $1.5 billion to improve the Seine’s water quality. However, the recent rainfall has highlighted the challenges of maintaining the river’s cleanliness.
The contamination concerns have cast a shadow over the Paris 2024 triathlon events. Officials are monitoring the situation closely and will make a decision on the viability of the races based on water quality tests.
