Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Gaza Government Media Office: Starved citizens are tempted to head to American-Israeli centers and then are deliberately shot
Gaza Government Media Office: The toll at US-Israeli aid distribution centers is as follows: 110 martyred, 583 wounded, and 9 missing
Gaza Government Media Office: 8 starved civilians were killed and 61 others were injured by the gunfire of Israeli occupation forces and an American security company in Rafah
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Three martyrs, injured in Israeli drone strike on phone charging station west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Four martyrs, dozens of injured as IOF open fire on civilians near GHF facility west of Rafah, southern Gaza.
Lebanese Army: This may push Army to freeze cooperation with committee regarding investigating facilities.
Lebanese Army: Enemy's continued violations of agreement and its refusal to respond with implementation committee weakens committee, Army's role.
Lebanese Army: A number of patrols also headed to locations under threat to investigate them, despite enemy's refusal of proposal.
Lebanese Army: As soon as enemy announced its threats, Army began coordination with ceasefire committee to stop attack.
Lebanese Army: Aggressions took place on eve of holidays, in clear atttempt by enemy to disrupt recovery of our nation and positive atmosphere.

Olympic organizers will not hold open water swimming in Seine

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 4 Aug 2024 16:11
3 Min Read

Many triathletes are voicing their displeasure with the Paris Olympics, claiming that the participants' health was not taken into consideration by the organizers.

Listen
  • x
  • An aerial view of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
    An aerial view of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)

Olympic referee Alexey Kalinin announced on Sunday that the open water swimming competition for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris would not take place in the Seine River, and that officials are awaiting word on whether the tournament will start later than scheduled. 

The triathlon familiarization session was postponed on Saturday by the Paris Olympics organizers because of the river's low water quality. 

On Telegram, Kalinin wrote, "We are waiting for a decision on whether the relays with swimming will be held tomorrow, or whether they will be postponed to August 6, when the start will be held anyway in a triathlon or duathlon format. In our opinion, the open water swimming competition will definitely not be held in the Seine”.

August 8 is set aside for the women's 10 km (6.2 mi) competition; the men will swim the distance the next day. 

Despite the postponement of the men's race due to poor water quality and the cancellation of training familiarization sessions, the triathlons for both men and women took place in Paris on Wednesday. 

Read more: Vatican says saddened by Paris Olympics opening ceremony

Many triathletes have voiced their displeasure with the Paris Olympics, claiming that the participants' health was not taken into consideration by the organizers. A number of athletes fell ill on Wednesday either during or after the competition.

Related News

Belgian triathlete withdraws from Paris Olympics after swim in Seine

Le Pen, Hidalgo Run For French Presidential Elections

Immediately after crossing the finish line, triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk, a Canadian, fell ill and threw up.

Triathlete Jolien Vermeylen remarked after the race that she "smelled and saw things that we shouldn't think about too much" and that "the Seine has been dirty for a hundred years, so they can't say that the safety of athletes is a priority." 

Prioritizing health and hygiene

This comes after the World Triathlon revealed last week that the men's triathlon competition at the Paris Olympics was postponed due to water pollution in the Seine River.

"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. 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," the statement said. 

The Seine's water pollution is believed to be caused by the rain that occurred Friday and Saturday, resulting in the cancellation of the Olympic triathletes' swim training sessions to be canceled on Sunday and Monday.

There are reports that hazardous bacteria are infesting the Seine. To ensure that the water was safe for competition, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim in the river that passes through the French capital before the games began.

Hidalgo had made a promise last year that from 2025, three sites where swimming had been prohibited since 1923 would reopen. 

Last month, French local officials have reported that approximately 50,000 cubic meters of sewage water have been dumped into the Seine River over the past several weeks due to issues with the pumping system in a northwestern suburb of Paris.

At the time, recent tests conducted by water charity Surfrider revealed that levels of E. coli and enterococci bacteria in the Seine exceed the limits set by sports federations and European bathing standards, as reported by France 24.

  • Anne Hidalgo
  • Paris
  • Olympics
  • France
  • Seine river

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Boston Consulting Group withdraws from GHF

  • Palestine
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Poll
Palestine

Sharp decline in international perception of 'Israel', Netanyahu: Poll

Ukrainian soldiers with the anti-drone KVS G-6, manufactured by Kvertus Technology.Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Facebook
US & Canada

Shift in US priorities: Drone fuzes reallocated from Kiev to CENTCOM

US Jews accuse Trump of antisemitism despite his pro-'Israel' stance
US & Canada

US Jews accuse Trump of antisemitism despite his pro-'Israel' stance

Former US President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sept. 30, 2024 (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
US & Canada

Trump orders investigation into Biden’s autopen use, cognitive fitness

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS