Olympic Swim on Seine River Cancelled due to Poor Water Quality
The organisers of the Olympic Games in Paris have announced that they cancelled the preparatory stage for the triathlon, which was to take place on Sunday in the Seine River. They did not like the water quality.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
It was supposed to be a training swim before the main part of the competition. But Parisian officials are confident that the triathletes will be able to swim in the city's famous waterway during the competition next week.
The water quality in the Seine is closely linked to the weather. After heavy rain fell during the opening ceremony on Friday and continued on Saturday, it was decided to cancel the test swim.
However, with no more rain predicted, the organisers expect the athletes to be able to swim in the Seine.
‘We've seen the dynamics of the Seine over the past few weeks, and that's what gives us confidence,’ said Deputy Mayor of Paris Antoine Guillou at a press conference on Sunday.
According to him, after similar rains in the past, the water quality in the river returned to a safe level within 24-48 hours.
If that doesn't happen, the organisers have a backup plan to postpone the triathlon for a few days. And if the water quality does not improve, the swimming part of the triathlon will be cancelled altogether, and the athletes will compete only in the running and cycling parts.
The men's stage of the triathlon is scheduled for Tuesday, and the women will compete on Wednesday. The triathletes were supposed to have the opportunity to get acquainted with the course on Sunday, but due to the rains, the organisers cancelled the training.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century, largely due to poor water quality. Paris has spent €1.4 billion to prepare the river for the Olympics. It is expected that in addition to the swimming part of the triathlon, a marathon swim will also take place in the river later.
As The Gaze previously reported, to convince everyone of the good water quality in the Seine, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo dived into the river last week.