Seine water pollution causes postponement of triathlon: Paris Olympics
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The water pollution of Paris' famous river is believed to have been caused by rain from over the weekend.
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Triathlon athletes dive in the Seine River during the men's 2023 World Triathlon Olympic Games test event in Paris on August 18, 2023. (AFP)
The men's triathlon competition at the Paris Olympics has been postponed due to water pollution in the Seine River, the World Triathlon said in a statement on Tuesday.
"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. In addition, the men's and women's races that were initially scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed until Wednesday.
"Considering the latest weather information, it has been decided to schedule the men’s triathlon event on 31 July at 10h45," the World Triathlon's statement said. "The women’s triathlon is due to take place the same day at 8 am. Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming. The original contingency day also remains in place for August 2, for further considerations."
50,000 cubic meters of wastewater poured into Seine
Earlier in May, French officials revealed that approximately 50,000 cubic meters of sewage water were dumped into the Seine River over several weeks due to issues with the pumping system in a northwestern suburb of Paris.
The incident occurred just two months before the start of the Summer Olympics. French authorities rushed to clean up the river to ensure athletes can safely swim during the triathlon events.
On May 29, Mayor Laurent Brosse told La Gazette du Val d'Oise, “There has been a major malfunction at the network that delivers the wastewater from Conflans-Sainte-Honorine to the treatment plant." He added that three pumps stopped working due to electrical failure and that temporary pumps were installed.
An estimated 50,000 cubic meters of wastewater was into the river at the time, according to the administration of the Grand Paris Seine et Oise area, which includes Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. Officials said the discharge of contaminated water from the broken pumping system stopped.
On the day Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other French officials were expected to swim in the Seine River to showcase its cleanliness and readiness for the Summer Olympics, the river was contaminated with E. coli above the acceptable limit, according to media reports.
