"Paris Olympics Triathlon Postponed as Seine River Water Quality Puts Race on Hold"
Concerns over the Seine River’s water quality have led Paris Olympics organizers to postpone the men’s triathlon scheduled for Tuesday, with hopes to reschedule it in the coming days after an intensive cleanup effort.
Officials are now targeting Wednesday for the men’s triathlon, alongside the women’s event, but both races will proceed only if water tests confirm acceptable levels of E. coli and other bacteria. Friday is also set as a backup date.
The situation is complicated by forecasted storms and rain from Tuesday night through Thursday, which could further elevate bacteria levels in the river. Recent rain during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday and into Saturday led to the cancellation of swim training sessions on Sunday and Monday due to water quality concerns.
Aurélie Merle, Paris 2024’s director of sports, acknowledged the challenging weather conditions but expressed pride in the ongoing efforts to improve water quality. “There are unfortunate meteorological events outside of our control,” she said. “But otherwise the project is still very strong. When we see the impact on the quality and the legacy that we can leave also to the Parisians, we all feel extremely proud of what we’ve done so far.”
The delays come despite recent confidence from Olympic organizers and city officials that improving weather conditions would enhance water quality. Paris invested €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) to improve the Seine’s water quality for the triathlon and marathon swimming events, but bacteria levels have fluctuated.
The postponement decision was made after a Tuesday morning meeting with World Triathlon, its medical team, the IOC, and city officials. “Despite recent improvements, some readings remain above acceptable limits,” organizers stated, emphasizing their priority to ensure athletes’ health.
Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan noted that while “the trend is improving,” the water quality has not yet reached the necessary threshold. He added that holding the competitions on Wednesday “seems to be the best option,” though further delays could be possible based on upcoming water quality results.
Daily tests monitor levels of fecal bacteria E. coli, with a European safety limit set at 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. Eau de Paris, the monitoring group, updates its data weekly, though it lags by a few days.
