Olympic officials postpone men’s triathlon due to pollution in the Seine
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, World Triathlon, its medical team, the International Olympic Committee and Paris city officials made the decision to postpone the men’s race to Wednesday.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held,” the press release said.
“Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits.”
Heavy rains battered Paris over the weekend, drenching Friday’s opening ceremony and raising concerns about water quality in the river, which usually declines after rainfall.
Training was canceled for a second straight day on Monday after water quality testing deemed the water unsafe for athletes, but organizers were confident at the time that Tuesday’s race would go ahead as planned.
The decision to hold some swimming events in the famous river that splits Paris raised eyebrows when it was first announced. Swimming in the Seine has been illegal for a century but, in their desire to put the host city on full display, organizers worked up a plan to clean up the river so the world’s best athletes could use it during Paris 2024.
The women triathlon is still scheduled for Wednesday and will take place prior to the men’s race, according to Olympic officials.
If the water levels don’t improve by Wednesday, the original contingency date remains in place for Friday, August 2.
CNN’s Kyle Feldscher and Chris Liakos contributed reporting.
Although the women's triathlon is set to take place on Wednesday, the postponement of the men's race highlights the ongoing concerns about the sport being held in the Seine. Despite the efforts to improve the water quality, it continues to pose challenges for the athletes.
