Olympic Triathlon Swimming at Risk as Seine River Contamination Levels Cause Concerns – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:42 AM – Tuesday, July 30, 2024
The discovery of high levels of fecal bacteria and E. coli in Paris’ Seine River led to the postponement of the men’s Olympic triathlon.
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The event was initially scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning, but it is now expected to take place on Wednesday, as long as the tests show “acceptable levels” of contamination.
The World Triathlon organization released a statement on X (Twitter) explaining the situation.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain, which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons,” the organization stated.
The question of whether or not Paris’ river would be clean enough for Olympic swimmers to safely compete has been tightly monitored by event organizers and city officials.
Swimming in the Seine river has been banned since 1923 and has cost $1.5 billion in an effort to make the river swimmable. These efforts have included constructing a massive basin to hold large amounts of rainwater to keep wastewater from diverging into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
However, even with the pricey renovations, heavy rainfall on the 26th and 27th of July led to water tests surpassing the acceptable levels of E. coli.
Prior to the announcement of the delay, event organizers had expressed confidence in the power of the clear skies and hot temperatures to bring bacteria levels under acceptable rates, yet it turned out not to be the case.
A contingency plan is now in place for August 2nd.
“It’s disappointing that there’s this negative aspect now with the delay,” said U.S. triathlete Seth Rider. “But I hope we can have a triathlon and I can accomplish this dream that I’ve had since I was a little kid.”
If conditions do not improve in the Seine River, the swimming portion of the competition would be canceled altogether, leaving only the cycling and running portions for the triathletes to compete in.
“It’s just another situation of the competition,” said World Triathlon president Marisol Casado.
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