It’s not even a big surprise and World Triathlon insists – at least from the mouths of some of its employees – that swimming will be ‘normal’ during the competition days, but after the first test swim was cancelled yesterday, the second and final test swim is also cancelled today. Reason: the most recent water tests show that the water of the Seine is still too dirty.
The water quality of the Seine has been a topic of discussion for months, and despite an investment of one and a half billion euros, Paris just can’t seem to improve the water quality. Meanwhile, we are about 24 hours before the start of the men’s race – which starts at 8:00 a.m. CEST on Tuesday, July 30 – and so athletes have not yet been able to test one meter of the swim course. Incidentally, most of the athletes have already let it be known that they don’t want to go into the water anyway, even though a test swim would have taken place, for fear of getting sick before the race.
World Triathlon maintains its own reading that the water quality will improve significantly over the next 24 hours – especially since it has been nice weather for a few days, whereas rainfall actually causes sewers to flood into the Seine and thus worsen water quality – and that swimming will be possible on race days. At the same time, several officials in Paris have said, according to athletes, that they are not so sure about a triathlon yet.
In any case, alternative scenarios do exist. For example, the triathlons (men’s Tuesday, July 30 and women’s Wednesday, July 31) could be postponed to Friday, August 2. The Mixed Team Relay would then be moved by one day, from Aug. 5 to Aug. 6. A duathlon format is also still on the table as an alternative scenario.
Tomorrow morning – Tuesday, July 30 – a final water test will be done about five hours before the start and a decision will be made based on that whether the first Olympic triathlon will take place.
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