October 22, 2022; Paris, France; Panoramic view of the Eiffel Tower and Seine River from the Pont Alexandre III ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The bridge will serve as a venue for triathlons, open water swimming and road cycling competitions. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports PARIS – Olympic triathlon swimming training scheduled for Sunday has been canceled due to recent heavy rains that affected pollution levels in the Seine River, organizers said in a statement.
It's a big deal for Olympic triathletes when they are allowed to swim in Paris' central waterway when the competition starts on Tuesday. Available for swimming, this is an important French heritage.
On July 17, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the Seine River to try to convince skeptics that the water was clean enough for athletes to compete in the river, as they had done during the 1900 Olympics.
“We had some rain, but all the measures that were put in place worked. It prevented overflows from happening, so I think we'll get to satisfactory water quality soon, but that also depends on the weather forecast,” Pi said. Rabadan, El's deputy mayor for sports, said at a press conference on Sunday.
Paris 2024 organizers said in a statement that tests in the Seine on Saturday “revealed that the International Triathlon Federation considers water quality levels to be insufficient to guarantee the event”.
“This is due to the rain in Paris on July 26 and 27.”
Organizers said they were “confident” water quality would improve again ahead of the start of the men's event on Tuesday, with sunshine and warmer temperatures expected over the next 48 hours.
World Triathlon meets with the City of Paris every day at 4 a.m. before triathlon training or competition to analyze the latest water test results and determine whether the Seine is clean enough for athletes to swim.
Running and cycling course familiarization sessions will continue as planned on Sunday.
In May, the city opened a new 46,000 cubic meter reservoir designed to hold stormwater and wastewater to reduce pollution levels in the river.
——Reuters, on-site media special report