Paralympic triathlon events postponed following poor water quality in the Seine
By George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — Poor water quality in the River Seine has once again interrupted Paris’ summer of sport with the postponement of the Paralympic triathlon competitions.
Hours before the events were scheduled to start on Sunday, World Triathlon released a statement saying that the latest tests revealed a “decrease in water quality” in the Seine following “rain episodes over the last two days.”
The statement added: “As a result, the water quality at the competition venue on Sunday 1 September is not suitable for swimming and above the threshold established by World Triathlon.”
The 11 triathlon medal events at the Paralympics have all been moved to Monday subject to the results of further water tests.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athlete and with these conditions, the Para triathlon events cannot take place today,” said World Triathlon.
The poor water quality of the Seine also cast a shadow over the Olympic triathlon events in Paris several weeks ago.
Training sessions ahead of the competitions were cancelled and the men’s race was postponed by a day after the water was deemed unsafe for athletes.
Swimming in the Seine has been illegal for a century but, in their desire to put the host city on full display, local organizers in Paris devised a plan to clean the river ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics.
About $1.5 billion (1.4 billion Euros) was spent trying to clean up the river ahead of the Games and Paris officials made a big show of displaying its suitability. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo even swam in the river ahead of the Olympics to display her confidence in the water quality and promised to put a swimming pool there after the Games.
Speaking about the possibility that poor water quality could affect the Paralympic events, Dutch triathlete Jetze Plat told reporters earlier this week: “I really hope the swim in the Seine will happen, but I’m not going to worry about that at this stage. Even if it becomes a duathlon (cycling and running only), I should be able to win. But I do prefer the swim part with it.”
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CNN’s Kyle Feldscher contributed to reporting.
