Paris Expects Seine to Sparkle: Crystal Clear Waters Await Olympians

Concerns over water quality have led to the cancellation of the swimming portion of a practice run for the Olympic triathlon in Paris.

PARIS, France — On Sunday, Paris officials called off the swimming leg of the triathlon practice run due to worries about the Seine River’s water quality. Despite this setback, they assured that the river would be ready for the actual Olympic events scheduled this week.

The men’s triathlon is slated for Tuesday, followed by the women’s race on Wednesday. The test swim was canceled based on water quality assessments from a meeting of World Triathlon representatives, local authorities, and various stakeholders.

Weather plays a significant role in the Seine’s water conditions. Heavy rainfall during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, followed by showers on Saturday, prompted the decision to call off the swimming practice. However, with a dry forecast ahead, officials remain optimistic that the river will be fit for competition.

Paris Deputy Mayor Antoine Guillou expressed confidence, citing favorable trends in water quality over recent weeks. He noted that past rain events generally saw the river return to safe conditions within 24 to 48 hours.

Olympic organizers also echoed this optimism. Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps emphasized that ongoing improvement efforts have significantly enhanced water quality in the Seine.

If issues persist at race time, the plan is to delay the triathlon events by a few days. Should water conditions remain unsuitable, the swimming portion will be canceled, leaving athletes to compete in running and biking only.

Triathletes are hopeful that water conditions will improve sufficiently. The Seine has been off-limits for swimming for over a century mainly due to pollution. Paris has invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prepare the river for Olympic events. Alongside the triathlon swimming, the marathon swimming event is also scheduled to take place in the river later during the Games.

Measures to upgrade the Seine’s quality included constructing a massive basin to manage excess rainwater, revamping sewer infrastructure, and enhancing wastewater treatment plants. The recent rain filled the newly built basin near the Austerlitz train station to about 20% of its capacity.

Tests in early June identified unsafe E. coli levels, but subsequent measures boosted water quality. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo even swam in the river two weeks before the Olympics to demonstrate the improvements.

Recent tests from monitoring group Eau de Paris were positive before the latest rainfall, but Paris officials refrained from releasing more current data, leaving that to the governing sports bodies.

World Triathlon and Paris officials remain optimistic about the river’s eligibility for the triathlon events. World Aquatics spokesperson Torin Koos indicated they would reassess water quality before the marathon swimming events, scheduled with a training day on August 7.

AP Sports Writers Jerome Pugmire, Pat Graham, and Paul Newberry contributed to this report.