Paris Olympics organisers have postponed the men’s triathlon, whose swimming leg was supposed to be held in the River Seine today, after heavy rains pushed bacteria levels over safe levels.
The decision was made at 4am, after final water quality tests were reviewed, and only hours before 55 triathletes were set to dive in from the starting line near the Pont Alexandre III. Organisers said they would hold the event at 10:45am on Wednesday instead, right after the women’s triathlon. Both those starts will still depend on the levels of E.coli and other bacteria in the river.
The delay is a setback for the French authorities, who made a huge bet that a €1.4bn infrastructure upgrade to the capital’s antique sewage system and water treatment plants would suffice to hold triathlon and marathon swimming in the river. But the plans remain weather-dependent since the sewage system overflows into the Seine when it rains heavily, so as to avoid flooding the streets.