The men’s individual triathlon event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has been delayed due to substandard water quality in the River Seine, World Triathlon announced on Monday.
According to CNN, originally slated for Tuesday, the decision to postpone the men’s race to Wednesday was made jointly by World Triathlon, its medical team, the International Olympic Committee, and Paris city officials.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held,” the press release stated.
“Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits.”
Paris experienced heavy rainfall over the weekend, affecting Friday’s opening ceremony and raising concerns about the river’s water quality, which typically worsens after rain.
Training sessions were canceled for the second consecutive day on Monday due to unsafe water conditions, but organizers initially believed that Tuesday’s race could proceed as planned.
The choice to host swimming events in the Seine, a river that has been off-limits for swimming for a century, was controversial when first announced. Organizers, aiming to showcase the host city, devised a plan to clean the river for use by top athletes during Paris 2024.
The women’s triathlon is still set for Wednesday and will occur before the men’s race, as confirmed by Olympic officials.
If water quality does not improve by Wednesday, the contingency date of Friday, August 2, remains an option.
