water quality

Olympic organisers in Paris have cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the Seine, scheduled for Monday, due to pollution caused by recent heavy rains.

According to AFP, the decision was made because the water quality did not meet safety standards.

Despite the cancellation, organisers remain confident that the medal events later this week will proceed as planned. They explained in a statement that the decision was made due to the “level of water quality… not providing sufficient guarantees.”

Triathlon is the first Olympic event set to take place in the Seine, ahead of marathon swimming in the second week of the Games. Sunday’s swim training was also cancelled due to pollution levels.

The men’s individual triathlon is scheduled to start on Tuesday at 8:00 AM local time, with the women’s individual event following on Wednesday.

The water quality in the Seine is influenced by rainfall in Paris and its surrounding areas. Heavy rains, such as those during Friday’s opening ceremony, overwhelm the city’s sewage system, leading to the discharge of untreated wastewater into the river.

Organisers, however, are optimistic that the water quality will improve by Tuesday, given the weather forecast for the next 48 hours. Following the rains on Friday and Saturday, the sun returned to the French capital on Sunday morning.

This year, the Seine has repeatedly failed water quality tests due to an exceptionally wet spring and early summer. Bacterial levels, particularly of E. coli, have sometimes been ten times above permissible limits.

The Paris Olympic organisers have the option to postpone open water swimming events by a few days in case of rain.

Over the past decade, French authorities have invested €1.4 billion in cleaning up the Seine. On 17 July, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and 2024 Olympics chief organiser Tony Estanguet swam across the Seine to showcase the city’s readiness for the Games. Additionally, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra took a dip in the river 13 days before the Olympics began to demonstrate the water’s suitability for swimming.