Paris Olympics: River Seine Water Quality Forces Men’s Triathlon Postponement
The Olympic men’s triathlon has been postponed a day due to water quality in the River Seine, the Paris Olympics announced on Tuesday.
The race was due to take place on Tuesday but it has been moved to a 10:45 a.m. start time on Wednesday, to occur after the women’s race at 8 a.m., which is as scheduled.
The decision was made in the early morning hours in Paris on Tuesday, in consultation with the latest weather information and testing results of the water. Bacterial levels have remained high in the River Seine due to heavy rains on July 26 and 27. There is a slight chance of thunderstorms overnight in Paris.
The organizing committee in Paris canceled training sessions in the River Seine for triathlon swimmers. It has a contingency plan for marathon swimming, with the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium that hosts rowing events able to handle the open water events Aug. 8 and 9. But the triathlon has no such backup plan and will revert to a duathlon if the Seine is not usable.
