Controversy erupts as swimming leg of men's triathlon gets postponed due to polluted water in Seine river

The men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics 2024 has been postponed due to concerns over the quality of water in the Seine River. The swimming leg of the multi-sport race was due to take place on Tuesday (July 30) morning local time, but World Triathlon had announced on the day of the event that it has been postponed until Wednesday. 

The issue of contaminated water became controversial as it poses serious health problems for both athletes and organizers. After last Friday's rain, the water quality has improved slightly, but testing has confirmed that it is not suitable for the event. 

“The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held,” read a statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon.

“Despite the improvement in the water quality levels in the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits. We will provide the athletes who are due to take part in the men’s triathlon event with all information on its postponement, as well as real-time updates on the situation,” it added.

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Women's triathlon expected to go ahead as planned 

Meanwhile, the women's triathlon was already scheduled for Wednesday morning and will go ahead as planned. However, organisers have confirmed that both the men's and women's events will be postponed if pollution levels remain high by Wednesday morning.

"Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming," World Triathlon said

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The next date for the race will be Friday, and if concerns persist, the swimming leg will be removed from this year’s Olympics and the event will be changed to a duathlon. 

It is worth noting that, swimming training for the triathlon was cancelled for two consecutive days on Sunday and Monday. The swimming leg is one of the main highlights of the triathlon, and even if it's cancelled, it would be disappointing.