to update- After being postponed on Tuesday due to contamination in the River Seine, the Olympic triathlon went ahead on Wednesday morning. The women's and men's races continue today, capping a long saga that includes daily water tests to measure levels of faecal bacteria known as E. coli.
“Following a meeting on water quality held on 31 July at 3.30am attended by Paris 2024, representatives of the International Triathlon Union, their technical and medical delegates, Météo France, the City of Paris and the Prefecture of the Île-de-France region involved in the water quality tests, the stakeholders concerned confirmed that the women’s and men’s triathlons will take place as planned on 31 July at 8am and 10.45am respectively,” reads the official statement from the Paris 2024 organisers.
“The latest water analysis results, received at 3.20am, were assessed as being in line with ITU standards allowing triathlon competitions to take place,” the statement added.
The Seine River, the butt of a running joke since the release of Xavier Gens’s hit shark movie “Under Paris” on Netflix, was supposed to be clean enough for triathlons and marathons since the Games began. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had pledged to make the water quality safe enough for athletes and locals to swim in several months ago. The ambitious project to clean up the notoriously toxic river cost more than $1.5 billion, but it was quickly plagued by scorn and even a social media campaign #JeChieDansLaSeine, which encouraged Parisians to defecate in the water earlier this month.
On July 17, the mayor of Paris swam in the Seine (in a wetsuit and goggles) alongside Tony Estanguet, the French rowing gold medalist who heads the Olympic organizing committee, to drum up excitement and show that the water was safe enough. But it turns out that the Seine is still highly polluted.
Local media reported that heavy rain on July 26 – particularly during the opening ceremony – led to high levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine. This has already led to the cancellation of two days of training (Sunday and Monday). The mixed relay is scheduled for August 5.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony also forced Lady Gaga to pre-record her performance for safety reasons. Maud Le Pladique, choreographer and head of dance for the Olympics and Paralympics who has worked with Gaga for months, said her show was nearly canceled because of the weather.
