The Olympic men’s triathlon was postponed just hours before its scheduled start on Tuesday after last-minute water quality tests in the River Seine showed unsafe pollution levels, according to organizers.
This delay is a setback for Olympic officials who had consistently assured that the Seine would be safe for athletes to swim in. The men’s triathlon will now be held 24 hours later, immediately following the women’s race on Wednesday.
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon released a joint statement attributing the pollution to the heavy rain that inundated Paris on Friday and Saturday.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes,” the statement said after a meeting held at 3:30am local time (0130 GMT).
“The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control … can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons.”
Organizers had previously canceled training sessions in the Seine scheduled for Sunday and Monday due to unsafe pollution levels from last week’s rain.
Despite this, they were hopeful that the pollution would subside in time for Tuesday’s race, given the sunny weather in Paris this week, which is expected to reduce bacteria levels.
Over the past decade, French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in cleaning the Seine, including significant upgrades to water treatment and storage facilities in and around Paris.
However, heavy rainfall still overwhelms the city’s underground drainage and sewage systems, resulting in untreated effluent being released into the river.
Following an unusually wet spring and early summer, the Seine had consistently failed water tests until early July, presenting a significant challenge for Paris 2024 organizers.
E.Coli bacteria levels, indicating fecal contamination, were sometimes 10 times above the authorized limits.
The triathlon is the first Olympic event set to take place in the Seine, with marathon swimming scheduled for the second week of the Games.