The rain that drenched Friday’s opening ceremony may have moved out of Paris, but its effects are still being felt in the River Seine, with water quality concerns throwing the triathlon competition into uncertainty.
The decision to hold some swimming events in the river that splits Paris raised eyebrows when it was first announced. Swimming in the Seine has been illegal for a century but, in their desire to put the host city on full display, organizers worked up a plan to clean up the river so the world’s best athletes could use it during Paris 2024.
It was a risky move: Pollution in the Seine typically jumps after heavy rains like the ones that fell on the French capital throughout Friday and most of Saturday. Training was canceled for a second straight day on Monday after water quality testing deemed the water unsafe for athletes.
Still, organizers are confident the race will go ahead. The men’s triathlon is scheduled for Tuesday and the women’s triathlon for Wednesday. The contingency dates for those races are Thursday and Friday.
“Given the weather forecast for the next 36 hours, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon are confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions on July 30,” Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said.
The Paris area is also set for its first heat wave of the summer this week, which will hit at the same time as the triathlon.
