The Paris Olympics triathlon is postponed due to water quality problems in the Seine

The men's triathlon event at the Paris Olympics, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been delayed due to concerns about water quality in the Seine River. The event will now take place on Wednesday at 10:45 local time, after the women's event. However, that timetable is dependent on the results of the upcoming water tests meeting the swimming thresholds set by World Triathlon, the sport's governing body.

The decision to postpone the event came after tests carried out on Tuesday morning revealed that the water quality of the Seine did not meet the standards required to hold the event safely. The governing body attributed the poor water quality to recent rains, which also affected the inauguration ceremony.

In the event that the water quality does not improve, World Triathlon has a contingency plan to hold the event on Friday. However, the weather forecast for Paris, according to the French national weather service, Meteo-France, predicts stormy weather and rain on Tuesday night, Wednesday afternoon and parts of Thursday. This could cause further disruption to the triathlon calendar.

A triathlon race consists of three disciplines: swimming, running and cycling. If water quality remains a concern, organizers may have to cancel the swim portion, effectively turning the race into a duathlon, which only includes running and cycling.

The World Triathlon tests measure the levels of faecal bacteria such as E. coli and Enterococci in the river water. According to their rules, the levels of E. coli in inland water bodies such as the Seine cannot exceed 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, while enterococci levels cannot exceed 330 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.

The water quality of the Seine has been examined for several months before the Olympic Games. Despite this, organizers have maintained that it is safe for swimming events. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, even bathed in the river to emphasize this point. However, heavy rain over the weekend caused bacteria levels in the river to rise again, prompting the cancellation of the triathlon practice trials on Monday. Over the past decade, Paris authorities have spent $1.52 billion (€1.4 billion) on efforts to clean up the river and prepare it for Olympic events.