The men’s Olympic triathlon, which was due to take place on Tuesday, has been moved after the Seine River at 3:30 AM underwent a serious examination. Results showed an alarming level of pollution that would threaten athletes’ safety, which in turn forced the hands of organizers and Paris 2024, as well as World Triathlon, to reschedule the event. The heavy rainfall over Paris on Friday and Saturday washed a great deal of impurity into the river, hence this action.
“Based on the latest weather updates, we have decided to reschedule the Men’s Triathlon event to be held on 31st July at 10:45 a.m. The Women’s Triathlon will take place on the same day at 8 a.m. This rescheduling puts athletes and fans in uncertainty. With Team GB’s Alex Yee and Beth Potter, the other strong competitors, they will wait for better water quality unknowingly. Yee’s parents, who had tickets to Tuesday’s race, are now unsure if they can attend the rescheduled event on Wednesday.
More specifics about ticketing and broadcast information will be released by the organizers by Wednesday, July 31. The fact that the race day has been moved to this Wednesday adds to the already complex issue as forecasts indicate the possibility of thunderstorms and lightning.
The organizers stated, “Unfortunately, weather conditions outside of our control, like the rain on July 26 and 27, can change the quality of the water and force us to reschedule the event for health reasons.” Key representatives from Paris 2024, World Triathlon, the International Olympic Committee, Météo France, the City of Paris, and the Prefecture of the Ile-de-France Region convened at 3:30 AM to make the choice.
There has been both excitement and skepticism surrounding the proposal to hold swimming competitions in the Seine, a river that has been off-limits to swimming for more than a century. An estimated $1.5 billion (1.4 billion euros) has been spent on cleaning up the Seine, including modernizing wastewater treatment facilities and constructing a massive basin to collect more rainwater. The system has been overloaded by the recent heavy rains, despite these efforts, and the river now has greater levels of E. coli.
After June showers, 40,000 cubic meters (40 million liters) of effluent and rainwater were effectively kept out of the Seine by the Austerlitz basin, a significant infrastructural project. On June 30, however, E. coli readings at the Alexandra III Bridge rose to almost 2000 CFU/100 mL, significantly more than the permissible limit of 1000 CFU/100 mL needed for safe swimming.
The situation is still unstable, and if the water quality does not improve by the new date, there may be more delays. Should more changes be required, August 2 is still the original contingency day. A 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride, and a 10-kilometer run will comprise the triathlon competitions, which will feature some of Paris’s most well-known sites. A 300-meter swim, a 5.8-kilometer cycle ride, and a 1.8-kilometer run will comprise the mixed team relay.
All eyes will be on the Seine’s water quality in the coming days as Paris 2024 strives to guarantee that it satisfies the requirements for the Olympic games.
