The men’s triathlon competition at the Olympics, initially scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed to Wednesday due to unhealthy pollution level in the River Seine, News.Az reports citing the International Triathlon Union (World Triathlon).
The postponement follows a meeting involving representatives from the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Triathlon, and Paris city authorities, addressing concerns about water quality.
“The priority is the health of the athletes. Tests conducted today in the Seine River revealed a level of water quality that does not provide sufficient guarantees for the event to take place,” the Union said in a statement.
The men’s triathlon competition will now be held on July 31, following the women’s event. Both races have an initially allocated reserve day of August 2.
Earlier in Paris, triathlon training sessions were canceled due to dirty water in the Seine River. The water became polluted due to constant rainfall.
For over a century, swimming in the Seine has been prohibited. Since 2015, Olympic organizers have invested more than £1 billion (€1.18 billion) in preparing the water for the Games.
They promise that, subsequently, ordinary Parisians will also be able to swim and bathe in the city’s river.
