The men’s triathlon has been postponed after water-quality testing in the River Seine. The race was due to start today at 6pm, and will now take place on Thursday, the same day as the women’s triathlon.
Tests by monitoring groups before the Games showed elevated levels of E. coli in the water, and pollution levels are understood to increase when it rains in the city.
In a statement, officials said: “Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held”.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as rain which fell over Paris on July 26 and 27, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons. Despite the improvement on the water quality levels in the past hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable levels.”
