Olympic triathletes will swim in Paris’ Seine River after days of concerns about water quality
PARIS — After days of delays and uncertainty over water quality in the Seine River, the women’s and men’s Olympic triathlon races will go forward Wednesday with a swim in the famed Paris waterway, organizers said.
The decision to go ahead with the Seine swim for the triathlon competitions is a big win for the city, Olympics organizers and the athletes. Officials undertook an ambitious plan, including 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements, to clean up the long-polluted Seine and have been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events next week could safely be held in the river.
The organizers said early Wednesday the latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards.
Elevated levels of bacteria in the river pushed the men’s race originally planned for Tuesday to Wednesday, when the women’s competition had been scheduled. Test events meant to allow the athletes to familiarize themselves with the course had already been canceled for the same reason on Sunday and Monday.
The water quality in the Seine directly affected by rainfall that can lead to wastewater runoff flowing into the river. Heavy rains fell during Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony, and rain continued for most of the day Saturday.
Every day since Sunday, even as organizers announced cancellations or postponements, they continued to express confidence that the swims in the Seine would go forward as planned the next day. For several days they did not publicly release the data on levels of E. coli and other bacteria that contributed to their decisions.