In a significant blow to the preparation for the Paris Olympics next year, the organisers cancelled a para-triathlon swimming test event on August 19, Saturday. The halt was due to the poor quality of water in the Seine River, the venue of the test event.
It was reported that the competition was transformed from a para-triathlon into a duathlon, wherein the athletes were required to do running and biking, as per Associated Press. Either way, the cancellation is a tough one, not only for the Paris 2024 organisers but also for the city officials, who are ambitious about reopening the Seine River for public swimming after next year’s games.
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Notably, the swimming events did happen at the venue on August 17 and 18 at the river without any issues. But, according to the statement from the organisers, the subsequent tests about the water quality showcased “significant discrepancies,” leading to the swimming events scheduled for August 19, after the rains hit Paris in the build-up.
The statement also mentioned the joint decision from World Triathlon, the Paris Olympics, Paris City Hall and the Paris region to cancel the swimming events on August 19 “as a precaution measure, to not put the health and safety of the athletes in danger.”
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Furthermore, this isn’t the first cancellation of the swimming test event in Seine River this year. Earlier in the month, the heavy rains brought about untreated waste into the river, which made the water quality drop below safety standards, which gave organisers no choice but to cancel the previous test event.
Also, the organisers stated that they will conduct new tests in the Seine River, to make a decision tomorrow morning on whether the swimming events on August 20, Sunday, can be held as per the schedule or not.
