The men's Olympic triathlon was postponed hours before the race was due to start due to pollution of the Seine.
World Triathlon and the Paris Games organizing committee have confirmed that the race will be postponed by a day, but questions remain about the safety of swimming in the river, an issue that has hovered over the event for months in the run-up to the Olympics.
The decision was made after the triathletes' training session on Sunday was cancelled due to pollution levels.
Heavy rains that hit the French capital on Friday and Saturday have worsened pollution in some areas of the river, bringing it to levels “still above acceptable limits”, according to a statement issued by World Triathlon.
The men's triathlon is now scheduled for 10.45am Paris time (6.45pm AEST), while the women's is scheduled for 8am (4pm AEST); however, “both triathlons are subject to upcoming in-water testing in accordance with World Triathlon's swimming thresholds,” the statement continued.
Another possibility for the organizers is to plan an emergency day on August 2.
The AFP news agency reported that rains on Friday and Saturday “led to the discharge of raw sewage.”
Before the postponement, officials at Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said they were “confident” that pollution would ease before the start of the competition, given the warm, sunny weather, which helps keep bacteria levels low.
Temperatures are forecast to soar to highs of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting weather forecasters to issue a weather warning for Paris and surrounding areas.
The cleanliness of the Seine has been a controversial topic in the run-up to the Olympics, as swimming in its waters has been banned for a century due to pollution caused by the wastewater that flows into it.
However, although the river was declared clean enough to swim in before the start of the Olympics (enough for Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to take a dip on the eve of the Games), questions remain about its safety, whether it will be possible to host triathlon and marathon swimming events on the Seine.
French officials hoped that holding triathlons and marathon swimming events on the river, which is lined with some of Paris's most famous landmarks, would create a lasting image of the Games.
But the price to pay was high: 1.4 billion euros (2.3 billion Australian dollars) to clean up the river.
In early July, due to negative tests in the river, the Olympics announced an alternative venue for the triathlon, and even eliminated the swimming portion of the event, opting for a duathlon only.
“The rules of the International Triathlon Federation allow the event to be transformed into a duathlon format as a last resort,” a spokesperson for Paris 2024 told Reuters in early July.
“On the contrary, to ensure that the marathon swimming events can take place once our postponement options have been exhausted, we have decided to set up a reserve site in Vaires-sur-Marne (about 35 km from Paris).
“The race site, already used for rowing and canoeing events, has all the necessary features to host these events as well, if necessary.”
However, Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said last week that the river will be the only venue where the world's best swimmers will flock this summer.
But an employee of the city’s environmental department who agreed to speak to The US Sun last week slammed the organizing committee for stubbornly persisting with the Seine.
“It's absurd that the IOC and the Olympics organization had this idea and are now pushing for the opening ceremony and some competitions to take place on the Seine,” the employee said.
“The water is terrible, it is full of dirt and is not suitable for any activity.
“Also, the levels of chemicals, human feces and other dirt are very high, so bacteria like E. coli are everywhere.”
The US newspaper The Sun also reported that an anonymous member of the Olympic organizing committee called the decision to stage the events on the Seine “horrible.”
“Organizing the opening ceremony and some races on the Seine is by far the most stupid and irresponsible idea of the government, the IOC and the city of Paris,” said the Olympic organizer.
“We all know this water is dirty, disgusting, whatever word you want to use.
“The sewers of most of the city end there, the water is disgusting, it is not worth diving and swimming there.
“The 1.4 billion spent to purify water was a waste and people are very angry because this kind of money was thrown out the window because Macron and the city of Paris had that fantasy, that dream.”
With AFP
