Olympic triathlon to become a duathlon? River pollution casts doubts over event

The Paris Olympic triathlon could be delayed or the swim cancelled if water quality does not improve in the River Seine.

Despite over €1bn (£850m) being spent by authorities trying to make the river safe, the threat of E. coli still looms large.

Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet has said the event could be delayed, or the swimming leg cancelled altogether if water quality worsens.

This is because, he said, it could be adversely affected by weather conditions.

Heavy rain in the French capital could raise levels of E. coli in the water, making it unsafe to swim.

Yesterday, as the countdown to the games continues, the Surfrider Foundation Europe charity issued a warning that samples from the Seine showed dangerous levels of bacteria in the water.

They said that of 14 samples taken from the river, at the point where the triathlon and other events would take place, only one came back with “even satisfactory” water quality.

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After finding evidence of E. coli, enterococci, intestinal bacteria and “formidable indicators of pollution of faecal origin” the charity said athletes swimming in the water will be “taking significant risks to their health”.

Mr Estanguet has admitted weather could dictate whether or not they can use the river for the event.

“When we decided to have this competition in the Seine we knew it will be a big challenge. But with the authorities, there is a big programme of investment and, when we talk about legacy, this project is fantastic,” he said speaking at Sport Accord in Birmingham, as reported by Guardian.

“And we are still confident that the triathlon will be based in the Seine because we have contingency plans. We can postpone for rainy conditions. Because it’s programmed at the beginning of the Games we can wait for better conditions. So we are confident that it will be possible to use the Seine.

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“We change the date and postpone from one day to three days until it’s OK. And there is a final decision where we could not swim – it’s part of the rules of the International Federation. It’s what we want to avoid, of course.”

The opening ceremony for the Olympics will also be held on the River Seine.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo along with President Emmanuel Macron have promised to take a dip in the river before the start of the Games to demonstrate it is safe for athletes and the public.

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