Fifty-five triathletes were scheduled to line up at 8 a.m. on Tuesday July 30, on a floating pontoon next to the Pont Alexandre III and dive into the Seine. The plan, however, seems to be thwarted, as the second successive day of training has been called off after Sunday’s ‘familiarisation’ due to poor water quality.
A statement issued on Monday by Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said that tests had shown the water quality was still below an acceptable standard and the organisation wanted to “reiterate that the priority is the health of the athletes.”
They added : “The tests carried out in the Seine [on Sunday] 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. This is due to rain that has fallen on Paris on 26 and 27 July.”
France has invested about $1.4 billion in new wastewater infrastructure to cut the amounts of sewage flowing into the river. Nevertheless, heavy showers may lead to untreated sewage leaking into the river.
