The men’s triathlon event at the Paris 2024 Olympics was postponed just hours before it was scheduled to start on Tuesday (30/7/2024), due to the water quality of the Seine River being unhealthy. Shortly before the event was due to start at 5:00 a.m. local time, organizers announced that it would be postponed for 24 hours and held directly after the women’s race on Wednesday (31/7/2024).
Athletes were angry, Olympic officials were disappointed. Paris 2024 organizers and the World Triathlon federation pointed the finger at pollution caused by heavy rain on Friday (26/7/2024) and Saturday (27/7/2024) which caused the water quality to deteriorate.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that our priority is the health of athletes,” their joint statement said after a 3:30 a.m. local time meeting. “Today’s tests in the Seine River revealed a water quality level that does not provide sufficient assurance to allow the event to take place. Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control… may change the water quality and force us to reschedule the event for health reasons,” he continued, as quoted by the AFP news agency.
The postponement of the triathlon has embarrassed the French authorities. This is because they have spent 1.4 billion euros over the past ten years to clean the Seine River. Quoted from Britannica, the Seine is the second longest river in France after the Loire. Stretching 780 kilometers, the Seine River network is passed by most of the water traffic in the interior of France. The Seine River is also one of the largest historic rivers in Europe.
The results of the men’s triathlon this time are difficult to predict. The three medal winners at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, namely Kristian Blummenfelt from Norway, Alex Yee from England, and Hayden Wilde from New Zealand have the same chance, while the favorite French athletes, Leo Bergere and Dorian Coninx, are also highly favored.
The Paris 2024 Olympic organizers have already made flexible plans to postpone the triathlon for a few days. Or, as a final option, they could scrap the triathlon swim and turn it into a duathlon with only running and cycling.
The Seine River will be used for a mixed triathlon relay on Aug. 5, followed by a 10-kilometer open-water marathon swim on Aug. 8-9. The marathon swim could be moved to another location in Vaires-sur-Marne on the Marne River east of Paris.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo swam in the Seine earlier this month with Paris 2024 Olympic chief Tony Estanguet to show the river was clean enough for the Games. Hidalgo also plans to create three public baths on the Seine next year for Parisians. For information, formore than a century, the government has banned people from swimming in the river.
