Olympic Marathon Swim Test Axed Amid Seine River Water Quality Fears

Triathlon athletes were able to swim in the Seine Monday, but the marathon runs through a much longer section of the waterway.

PARIS, France — Concerns about water quality led to the cancellation of a test run for Olympic athletes in the Seine River on Tuesday. The planned exercise aimed to acquaint athletes with the marathon swimming course for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps announced that World Aquatics made the call to cancel the event. This decision follows the triathlon mixed relay held a day earlier in a shorter stretch of the river.

World Triathlon’s data released Tuesday indicated that water quality during Monday’s triathlon met acceptable levels for fecal bacteria E. coli and enterococci. However, the marathon swim, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, traverses a longer section of the Seine, raising more substantial concerns.