Men’s triathlon postponed due to pollution levels in the Seine

Paris: A grand plan to stage the swimming leg of the Olympic triathlon in the river Seine, costing taxpayers more than a billion euros, has suffered a major setback following a decision to postpone the men’s race until Wednesday because of unsafe levels of bacteria in the water.

Paris officials announced on Tuesday the men’s triathlon would not go ahead as planned on Tuesday as pollution levels in the Seine remain too high after heavy rains last Friday and Saturday dirtied the river, World Triathlon said in a statement.

The race has been postponed to Wednesday at 10:45am (6:45pm AEST), immediately after the women’s event, which is scheduled for 8am (4pm AEST). But even that could have serious ramifications for athletes when temperatures are expected to rise to 35 degrees as part of a forecast heatwave.

Ducks swim along the Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Summer Olympics.Credit: AP

If the water is still deemed unsafe for a second day, Friday August 2 has been pencilled as an alternative.

But France’s bureau of meteorology, Météo-France, is forecasting thunderstorms from Tuesday evening and into Thursday evening, which could again make the Seine unsuitable for swimming on Friday.

Australians Matt Hauser and Luke Willian - both medal chances in the race - were “ready to race”, wanted to swim in the Seine and were aware that contingencies were in place, Australian chef de mission Anna Meares told journalists on Tuesday.

“They’re able to adapt due to this postponement and we do believe that won’t affect their performances, just because they knew that this was a potential,” Meares said.

“In the context of mental and psychological preparation, they have been ready for this. But with that in mind we are looking forward to both men’s and women’s triathlon kicking off tomorrow if the weather can hold off.”

The decision is a blow to organisers who previously said they were confident water quality would improve in time for the race when the men were due to dive into the Seine for a 1500m swim that would be followed by a 40km bike ride and a 10km run.

Friday’s heavy rain, which soaked athletes at the opening ceremony in Paris, had a major impact with athletes unable to enter the water for the scheduled familiarisation sessions on Sunday and Monday morning due to the pollution.

The 55 triathletes who were primed to compete on Tuesday face more uncertainty. If there are further problems and the water remains unsafe, the swim leg of the triathlon will be ditched.

In a statement Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterated their priority was the health of the athletes. E. coli and enterococci are contaminants that are often linked to fecal bacteria. When infected water is ingested, the bacteria can cause diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and sepsis.

“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons,” the statement said.

“Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the past hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits.”

Paris authorities have promised to make the Seine swimmable as a key legacy of the Games, and spent 1.4 billion euros ($2.3 billion) on wastewater infrastructure to contain sewage and minimise spillage into the waterway.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a dip in the river herself earlier this month, in a bid to convince doubters.

The gamble that the river would be clean enough for the triathlon was never guaranteed to pay off, especially as water quality varies widely day-to-day.

with Reuters

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