The Olympic men's triathlon, scheduled to start on Tuesday, was delayed just hours before its commencement due to last-minute water quality tests in the River Seine showing unhealthy pollution levels, according to organizers. In a decision that left athletes frustrated and Olympic officials in a rush, organizers declared shortly before 5:00 am (0300 GMT) that the men's event would be postponed by 24 hours and would follow the women's race on Wednesday. A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon cited the excessive pollution as a result of the heavy rain that flooded the French capital on Friday and Saturday.
"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon emphasize that their top priority is the health of the athletes," the statement read after a meeting held at 3:30 am local time (0130 GMT). "The tests conducted in the Seine today showed water quality levels that were not adequate to ensure the event could proceed." Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control can affect water quality and force us to reschedule the event for health reasons.
Organizers had previously canceled training sessions in the Seine planned for Sunday and Monday due to unsafe pollution levels caused by last week's rain. However, they had expressed confidence that the pollution would decrease in time for Tuesday's race, given the bright, sunny weather in Paris this week, which helps to reduce bacteria levels. Benjamin Maze, the technical director of the French Triathlon Federation, mentioned on FranceInfo radio that there was "a bit of anger" among competitors.
Adding to the concerns, the threat of storms on Tuesday evening also raises doubts about the feasibility of holding both the men's and women's races on Wednesday. "There's still a lot of uncertainty about their trajectory and intensity. We can't say anything for certain," said Christophe Calas, a weather forecaster at the Paris 2024 organizing committee.
Tuesday's delay is a setback for French authorities, who have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the last decade to clean up the Seine, including significant new water treatment and storage facilities in and around Paris. Despite these efforts, heavy downpours still overwhelm the city's underground drains and sewage system, leading to untreated effluent being released into the waterway. After an unusually wet spring and start to summer, the Seine had been consistently failing water tests until the beginning of July, with E.Coli bacteria levels sometimes reaching 10 times higher than authorized limits.
The outcome of the men's triathlon remains uncertain, with all three medallists from Tokyo 2020 set to compete, along with French favorites Leo Bergere and Dorian Coninx. Paris 2024 organizers have built flexibility into their schedule to delay the triathlon races by several days. As a last resort, they have mentioned canceling the swimming leg of the triathlon and converting the race into a duathlon, consisting only of running and cycling. The Seine is planned to be used for the Triathlon mixed relay on August 5 and again for marathon swimming on August 8-9, with the option to relocate marathon swimming to Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris.
