Sunday’s Paralympic triathlon events have been postponed over fresh concerns about water quality in the Seine.
Eleven events were due to start with a swim in the river on Sunday morning. Now, they’re delayed because of heavy rain in the last two days.
The events have been rescheduled for Monday, but they’ll only go ahead if testing shows an improvement in the water quality.
World Triathlon confirmed the postponement after a meeting with Paris 2024 representatives and French authorities at 3.30am on Sunday.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes and with these conditions, the Para triathlon events cannot take place today,” said the group in a statement.
Athletes swimming in the River Seine during the Men’s Triathlon in Paris on 31 July. File pic: AP
The triathlon events were originally scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday but were combined into one day because of forecast rain.
Rainstorms hit the French capital on Friday and Saturday. Heavy rain causes wastewater, like sewage, and run-off to flow into the river, leading to a rise in bacteria levels including E. coli.
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Paris mayor swims in Seine
The disruption is another hiccup for the city’s efforts to clean up the river for future public swimming, one of Paris’ most ambitious promises ahead of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics this summer.
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The men’s individual triathlon during the Paris Olympics, eventually won by GB’s Alex Yee, was delayed by 24 hours and several test swims were cancelled because of high E. coli levels after rainfall.
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Some Olympic triathletes fell ill after swimming in the Seine, though it is unclear whether that was linked to the river water.
