Triathlon Swim Session Cancelled Again
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Pollution in the River Seine forced the cancellation of the second and final swimming practice session today [July 29].
Bermuda’s Tyler Smith is scheduled to compete in the men’s race tomorrow, while Dame Flora Duffy and Erica Hawley are due to take to the river for the start of the women’s event on Wednesday.
Photo of part of the triathlon location courtesy of the WTS
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon confirmed today that a test had shown the water quality remained below an acceptable standard after heavy showers on Friday and Saturday led to higher levels of E coli than expected.
A final test is set for tomorrow, just hours before the start of the race.
It has been reported that a contingency day has been set aside for the men’s and women’s races on August 2; however, if the water quality does not meet the required level, the individual races could become a duathlon, with a 5-kilometre run replacing the 1,500-metre swim and followed by a 40km bike and a 10km run.
Organisers are believed to be confident the sunnier weather will prompt a significant improvement in the water conditions and that the triathlons will go ahead.
Over the past decade, organisers have spent a billion dollars improving the quality of the water in the Seine.
Swimming in the river has been banned for more than a century.
