Paris Olympics organizers canceled open water swimming training in the River Seine on Tuesday due to pollution, prompting questions as to why triathletes were allowed to swim in the waterway the day before.
The decision – the fifth time organizers have canceled training in the river since the Games began on July 28 – is likely to further frustrate the swimmers.
Paris’ sewer system is known to dump untreated sewage into the canal during heavy rainstorms, despite a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) upgrade over the past decade.
Training for the triathlon mixed relay race was canceled on Saturday and Sunday after last week’s storms.
But organizers and governing body World Triathlon gave the go-ahead for the competition on Monday, saying bacteria levels had dropped to safe levels.
They did not provide numbers for the two bacteria they measure as an indicator of the presence of feces – E. Coli and enterococci.
The race proved to be a thriller, with Germany’s Laura Lindemann holding off a fierce challenge from the United States and Britain for gold.
Organizers issued a statement early Tuesday that the marathon swim “familiarization session” on Tuesday would not go ahead because of elevated enterococcal counts.
“Following a daily situational meeting this morning between Ville de Paris, Paris 2024 and World Aquatics, it has been decided that the familiarization meeting to be held today, August 6, 2024, is cancelled,” the statement read.
Several triathletes have expressed frustration at repeated disruptions to training since the start of the Games, preventing them from preparing for strong currents in the Seine, which flows at two to three times its usual summer speed.
The Seine is to be used for marathon swimming – a 10 kilometer race – on August 8 for women and August 9 for men.
Monday’s mixed triathlon relay was marred by illness, with at least three teams reporting sick athletes who swam in the River Seine during the men’s and women’s individual races a week earlier.
Teams from Belgium, Switzerland and Norway reported competitors with stomach problems, although no direct link to the Seine was suggested.
Some athletes have resisted using the river, saying they have not been swayed by uncertainty about its cleanliness.
“No one was afraid to jump in. We were all happy to be able to race,” Germany’s Tim Hellwig, who won gold in the team event on Monday, told reporters.
“If, like 99 percent of athletes, they don’t have any problems, I think that’s fine,” he said.
Organizers said the marathon swim may be moved to another site in Vaires-sur-Marne on the Marne River east of Paris if the Seine is too polluted. They said on Tuesday that they were “very confident” that the men’s and women’s events would be held in the Seine.
