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Paralympics organisers forced to change Triathlon plans over Seine water quality concerns
With rain forecast for Paris, concerns about the River Seine’s water quality has prompted a change to the schedule of the swimming leg of the Paralympic triathlon, organisers said Thursday. The swimming part of the event will take place on September 1, instead of over two days.
Issued on: 29/08/2024 – 14:53
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Athletes in action as they swim in the River Seine on August 5, 2024.
Athletes in action as they swim in the River Seine on August 5, 2024. © Albert Gea, Reuters.
Para triathlon events at the Paris Games, where the swimming leg is being held in the Seine river, will take place on Sept. 1 instead of across two days because of the weather forecast, organisers said on Thursday.
At the Olympics, triathlon events and training sessions were subjected to some reshuffling as adverse weather conditions led to a spike in bacteria levels in the Seine.
“All 11 medal events will now take place on 1 September, instead of across two days, on 1 and 2 September,” Paris 2024 said in a statement.
“The decision to hold all medal events on one day was taken in view of the weather forecast and to provide athletes and coaches with as much certainty as possible. The course of the swim remains unchanged.”
The French capital has been working on cleaning up the Seine so people can swim in it again, as was the case during the 1900 Paris Olympics. A sewer problem last summer, however, led to the cancellation of a pre-Olympics swimming event.
All triathlon events at the Olympics, however, were held with the swimming leg in the Seine.
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Organisers said that they had set aside two contingency days on Sept. 2 and 3.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon will continue their daily monitoring of water quality and the flow of the current. A familiarisation swim (athlete training) successfully took place on the morning of 29 August,” they added.
“Decisions to go ahead with familiarisation swims on 30 and 31 August, as well as the competitions on 1 September, will be taken ahead of each event
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