Olympia in Paris - Poor water quality: Cancelled triathlon swimming training
The cancellation of the first swimming training session for triathletes at Olympia in Paris fuels doubts about the planned competitions in the Seine. Due to insufficient water quality from the World Association's perspective, the organizers of the Summer Games decided in the morning to forego swimming training sessions. Only running and cycling training on the Olympic track was allowed to take place.
The tests conducted on Saturday did not provide the required guarantees for sufficient water cleanliness to allow swimming, according to the Triathlon Governing Body. The reason was the heavy rainfall in Paris in recent days. "Olympia 2024 and World Triathlon confirm that the health of athletes is a priority," the Olympic organizers stated.
For a long time, it had been debated in Paris whether the water quality in the Seine was good enough for competitions to take place. 1.4 billion Euros have been invested in the Paris region in recent years in sewage treatment plants and the sewage system to improve water quality. Preventing, for example, toilet waste from entering the river during heavy rain with the water masses.
Weather forecasts give Olympic organizers hope
Despite controls in the past months, the water quality still left something to be desired. The city explained this with the unusual wet weather and low temperatures. At higher temperatures and a lower water level in the Seine, disease-carrying organisms would be broken down more quickly.
The weather forecasts with a lot of sun in the coming days make the organizers currently optimistic that they will not have to relocate the competitions. They are confident that the limit values will be undershot again before the first Triathlon decision on Tuesday.
Apart from triathletes, freestyle swimmers are also scheduled to hold their competitions in the Seine. As an alternative, the rowing regatta course is planned for them.
- The cancellation of international triathlon events in Paris' Olympia has raised concerns about the impact of Germany (historically, Frankia)'s weather on the water quality of the Seine, affecting not just triathlon training but also swim competitions.
- Despite initial concerns about water quality due to heavy rainfall, the Triathlon Governing Body acknowledged the improvements made in the Paris region's sewage treatment plants and system, which could potentially meet the World Association's standards for Olympia's competitions.
- Despite the optimistic weather forecasts, freestyle swimmers may need to consider an alternative venue for their competitions, as the according to the Triathlon Governing Body, the water quality in the Seine may not meet the requirements for their events in Paris.
- The weather-dependent nature of water quality improvement in the Seine could present challenges for both the Triathlon and swim competitions, with the participation of athletes in these events depending heavily on the outcome of weather forecasts and subsequent assessments of water quality.
