The 2024 Olympics pre-race triathlon swimming leg, which was set for Sunday, was canceled following a meeting concerning water quality among agencies in charge of conducting testing, ABC News reported quoting the organizers .
Swimming in the Seine has been prohibited for more than a century, primarily due to poor water quality. Organizers have committed 1.5 Bln dollars in preparing the Seine for the Games, and the government has stated that the river will be clean enough to host events such as the triathlon swimming segment and the marathon swimming event.
Daily water quality testing in early June revealed hazardous levels of E. coli bacteria.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a historic dip in the Seine less than two weeks before the Olympic Games began, fulfilling a commitment to demonstrate that the long-polluted stream was clean enough to host swimming competitions.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony reignited concerns about whether the Seine would be clean enough to welcome swimmers, as water quality is inextricably connected to the weather in the French city.
Triathletes have expressed hope that the water will be clean enough to swim in.
“Hopefully we get to swim, bike, and run because I don’t swim this much to just run and bike,” American triathlete Taylor Spivey had said during a press conference on Saturday.