The triathlon familiarization swim at the Paris Olympics has been cancelled due to poor water quality levels in the River Seine, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said in a joint statement issued Sunday. Triathletes were set to practice in the Seine ahead of their upcoming events but the recent heavy rain in Paris has meant they will no longer get the opportunity.
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterated that the priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine on Saturday revealed water quality levels that, in the view of the international federation, World Triathlon, did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.
Data provided by Fluidion, a technology company that is testing the quality of the Seine daily, showed a huge increase in E. coli on Saturday compared to the previous two days.
Despite this setback, organizers are confident that the water quality will improve ahead of the triathlon events. Given the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon are confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions. As observed in July, with summer conditions such as more sunshine, higher temperatures, and prolonged absence of rain, water quality in the Seine has improved significantly.
The men’s individual triathlon is scheduled to take place on July 30 with the women’s individual event taking place the following day.
