The men’s Olympic triathlon was postponed on Tuesday only hours before it was set to start over concerns about the pollution levels in Paris’ Seine river.
Early morning last-minute tests revealed the water quality was “still above the acceptable limits” for Tuesday’s race to go ahead, as heavy rain in the French capital has dirtied the river, meaning it was not in swimming conditions.
A statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said: “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 tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.”
It added: “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. We will provide the athletes who are due to take part in the men’s triathlon event with all information on its postponement, as well as real-time updates on the situation.”
The race had been scheduled for an 8 a.m. local time start on Tuesday morning. It’s a blow for organizers, who spent around €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) on cleaning up the river for the Summer Games. With more rain and storms forecast for later this week, they rescheduled the race for 10:45 a.m. Paris time on Wednesday.
