PARIS (AP) — There are concerns about… Water quality in the Seine River That led officials to cancel the swimming portion of the Olympic triathlon training session for the second day in a row on Monday.
The organizers supervising the event at the Paris Games are: Optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim at the city’s famous waterway when the competition begins on Tuesday.
The sport’s governing body, the International Triathlon Union, its medical team and city officials are counting on sunny weather and warm temperatures to keep levels of E. coli and other bacteria below the thresholds needed to hold the swimming portion of the race, which also includes cycling and running.
The International Triathlon Union decided to cancel swimming training early Monday morning after a meeting on the water quality of the Seine River, which is closely linked to the weather. Heavy rain fell on the opening ceremony on Friday. The rain continued on Saturday, causing some tennis matches and a skateboarding competition to be postponed.
Representatives of Paris 2024 and the International Triathlon Union said tests carried out in the River Seine on Sunday showed water quality levels ahead of the training session “did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to take place”. The delegation blamed recent rain.
French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told French news channel CNews on Monday that officials were “quite calm about all this.” The plans they have put in place Controlling bacteria levels in the river She said the measures taken by the government were effective, but the weather was beyond its control.
She added that recent rains have contributed to increased concerns about water quality, but she said she believes things will improve.
“I’m confident we’ll be able to be there tomorrow in the men’s triathlon,” she said.
Organizers say the backup plan is to postpone the events, and if high bacteria levels persist, the swimming portion of the race will be cancelled and athletes will compete in a two-man race.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for more than a century because of the poor quality of the water. Organizers have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prepare the river for the Olympics.
In addition to the swimming portion of the men’s triathlon on Tuesday, the women’s triathlon on Wednesday and the mixed triathlon on Monday, the Seine is expected to be used for the marathon swimming competitions on August 8 and 9.
Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli, followed by recent improvements. Some measures taken to improve water quality include: Build a giant pool To capture excess rainwater and prevent sewage from flowing into the river, renovate sewage infrastructure and develop sewage treatment plants.
High levels of E. coli bacteria in water may indicate contamination from sewage. Most strains are harmless and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But others can be dangerous. Even a single sip of contaminated water can cause diarrhea, and the germs can cause illnesses such as urinary tract or intestinal infections.
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo I swam in the river openly. About two weeks before the start of the Olympic events, in hopes of easing Concerns over long-polluted waterway To be clean enough to host swimming competitions.
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Associated Press Health Writer Devna Posey contributed from Jackson, Mississippi.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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