Today’s (Tuesday) men’s individual triathlon race at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games has been postponed until Wednesday (31 July) after the water in the River Seine wasn’t deemed safe enough to allow the swim to take place as planned.
It means the nightmare scenario for the sport on its biggest stage moves a significant step closer, the potential dreaded downgrade to a duathlon should conditions fail to improve in the coming days. For unlike the open water swimming, there is no alternative venue for triathlon in Paris.
And all this despite that vaunted cleanup operation to make the Seine swimmable for the first time in a century.
Both the pollution levels and the speed of the current are the key markers which determine whether the athletes are allowed to swim.
Two races in one day?
The statement by organisers shortly after 4am local time (3am UK, 10pm Monday Eastern Time) – less than four hours before the scheduled start – took many by surprise in as much as the original reserve day had been Friday (2 August), though that does still remain in place.
The organisers explained: “Considering the latest weather information, it has been decided to schedule the men’s triathlon event on 31 July at 10h45.
“The women’s triathlon is due to take place the same day at 8am. Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes.
“The original contingency day also remains in place for August 2, for further considerations.”
How have we got to this point?
What wasn’t a surprise was the fact that the decision has gone down to the wire.
For the three triathlon races at the Olympics have been shrouded in uncertainty ever since last August’s Paris Test Event saw the Mixed Team Relay downgraded to a duathlon format (run / bike / run) because of the water quality. The same happened to races at the Paralympics Test Event.
For the last few months regular water tests have produced mixed results, underlined in the last few days when the two planned swim familiarisation sessions on Sunday and Monday were both cancelled because the readings were over the allowed limits.
That followed heavy rain in Paris for the opening ceremony on Friday and then the first day of competition proper on Saturday which not only increased pollution but also the speed of the current.
Organisers had pinned their hopes on improved weather since Saturday and while that has appeared – it was dry and sunny on both Sunday and Monday – unfortunately that hasn’t yet improved the situation sufficiently.
The new concern with Wednesday in mind will be a yellow thunderstorm warning which is in place for Paris later on Tuesday.
In the balance
A massive €1.4bn (£1.18bn or $1.5bn) has been spent on cleaning up the iconic Seine in the hope of making it swimmable for the general public for the first time in a century.
That would leave an incredibly powerful legacy from the Games but as far as the triathlon swim is concerned, it remains very much in the balance this week – something triathlon great Mark Allen spoke eloquently about here on TRI247 last month.
And speaking to TRI247 from Paris soon after today’s news broke, he reiterated that when he said: “An alternate venue was put in place to be able to hold the marathon swim events if the water quality doesn’t co-operate in the Seine. Those will take place at the rowing and canoeing venue. Why was this not Plan B for triathlons as well?
“It’s a huge disappointment that the solution for poor water quality is to completely change the sport and [potentially] make it a duathlon.
“I know tomorrow is another day and that both the men’s and the women’s individual events might still take place. But ultimately from my perspective there is a better solution that what is presently in place.”
The revised schedule now means the women’s race will take place first on Wednesday at 8am local time. That is 0700 in the UK, 0200 Eastern Time in the United States and 2300 PST Monday on the West Coast.
And then the men’s race will follow at 1045CET/0945 UK/0445 EST/0145 PST.
The latest Paris weather forecast updates are here and the worrying news is that there is that threat of a thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon so watch this space.
Full statement on Paris postponement
A full statement on the decision read: “Following a meeting on water quality held on 30 July at 3.30am attended by Paris 2024, representatives of World Triathlon and their Technical and Medical Delegates, the International Olympic Committee, Météo France, the City of Paris and the Prefecture of the Île-de-France Region involved in carrying out water quality tests, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon has decided to postpone the men’s triathlon event which was due to be held on 30 July at 8am.
“Considering the latest weather information, it has been decided to schedule the men’s triathlon event on 31 July at 10h45. The women’s triathlon is due to take place the same day at 8am. Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming. A contingency day remains in place for 2 August.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. 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.
“Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control, such as the rain which fell over Paris on 26 and 27 July, can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons. Despite the improvement of water quality levels over the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits.”
