Men’s Olympic triathlon postponed due to pollution concerns in Seine

July 30, 2024 Canuck

The men’s Olympic triathlon planned for Tuesday has been postponed over concerns about water quality in Paris’ Seine River, where the swimming portion of the race was supposed to take place.

Organizers said they will try to hold the men’s triathlon Wednesday instead. The women’s competition is also scheduled on Wednesday, but both are subject to water tests. Friday is also planned as a backup date.

But Meteo-France, the French weather service, was forecasting storms Tuesday night, light rain Wednesday afternoon and storms Thursday, which could complicate rescheduling the events.

Heavy rains generally cause levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine to rise. Paris experienced a downpour during the Olympic opening ceremony Friday, with rain continuing into Saturday.

The swimming portion of training events, meant to let the triathletes familiarize themselves with the course, was cancelled on both Sunday and Monday because of concerns over water quality.

The decision to postpone the men’s triathlon followed a meeting early Tuesday morning that included the sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials.

Triathlon Canada high performance director Phil Dunne noted safety as the top priority when dealing with “uncontrollable variables” in any open water event.

“We have full confidence in World Triathlon and Paris 2024’s mitigation plans to prioritize the health and safety of our athletes, while continuously monitoring the water conditions in Paris and developing appropriate plans that ensure the events are executed safely and as anticipated,” he said.

Two people are shown on the their sides in the water, with their arms in the air in a swimming motion. — Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, top, swims in the river Seine along with Paris 2024 organizing committee official Tony Estanguet in mid-July. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

Canadians Tyler Mislawchuk and Olympic rookie Charles Paquet are among 55 athletes scheduled to race.

Mislawchuk of Oak Bluff, Man., would be making his third Olympic appearance after placing 15th in 2016 (Rio) and 2021 (Tokyo). Paquet, who hails from Port-Cartier, Que., was seventh in an Olympic qualification race in Italy two months ago after placing a career-best fifth in a World Triathlon Championship Series race in Yokohama, Japan.

Simon Whitfield earned Canada’s only two Olympic triathlon medals, when the sport made its 2000 Olympic debut in Sydney and eight years later in Beijing.

Organizers and city officials had expressed confidence that bacteria levels would improve as skies cleared and temperatures warmed in the days that followed, but that apparently wasn’t sufficient to ensure the athletes’ safety.

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Some strains of E. coli can be dangerous

Paris made an enormous effort to improve the water quality in the long-polluted Seine so the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event in August could be held in the famed river that runs through the city centre. But bacteria levels have remained in flux.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli, with a safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres determined by European rules. Monitoring group Eau de Paris releases data each Friday, but it is updated only through the previous Tuesday.

High levels of E. coli in water can indicate contamination from sewage. Most strains are harmless and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But others can be dangerous. Even a mouthful of contaminated water can lead to diarrhea, and the germ can cause illnesses such as infections in the urinary tract or in the intestines.

Efforts to make the river suitable for swimming cost just over $2 billion. They include the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo very publicly took a swim in the river two weeks ago, along with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

Data released last week shows that E. coli levels at the Bras Marie area of the Seine were at 985 units per 100 millilitres that day, slightly above the established threshold.

Other swimming events planned in the Seine are the triathlon mixed relay on Aug. 5 and women’s and men’s marathon swimming events Aug. 8 and Aug. 9.

WATCH | Before Games, Parisians said they weren’t optimistic Seine would be clean:

Parisians still express doubt despite French minister’s swim in the Seine

14 days ago

Duration 0:55

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera took a dip in the Seine River to prove it’s safe for swimming, in light of the upcoming Olympics and questions regarding the Seine’s water quality. However, while Parisians say they trust the scientific testing being done, they themselves would not dare hop into the water.

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