It was in the air (or rather, in the water), but last night (Monday to Tuesday), the organizers of the Paris Olympics announced that the men's triathlon competition was postponed just hours before it was supposed to start. A test conducted at 3:30 AM in the Seine River found that pollution levels were still too high for athletes to swim safely.
In a statement, the organizers said that heavy rain over Paris on Friday and Saturday forced them "to postpone the event, again, for health reasons." As more rain is expected later this week, the men's race has been rescheduled for 10:45 AM (Paris time) on Wednesday, following the women's race, which is set to begin at 8:00 AM.
The ongoing fiasco began, believe it or not, a hundred years ago when jumping into the Seine and swimming in it were banned. For decades, sewage flowed into the river, but in 2015, the organizers decided they wanted to hold open water competitions and the swimming portion of the triathlon.
All the city's great minds gathered to think of a solution to the smelly problem, and then an idea came up: the city wanted to clean the river for the games and future generations, so they could eventually swim in it. What they didn't anticipate was that the task would be so complex, especially since it involves the Seine and not some smaller river.
France spent over 1.4 billion euros (yes, indeed) of taxpayers' money to clean it, including the construction of a massive basin to capture excess rainwater and stop too much sewage from flowing into the river, as well as infrastructure renovations and upgrades to sewage treatment plants. However, each time heavy rain pushed more sewage and E. coli into the Seine, causing another headache for the organizers. The first sign that the situation was still dire came last year when test events were canceled or shortened.
Despite this, the organizers and politicians repeatedly assured everyone that everything would be fine. To prove it, just a few weeks ago, Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Organizing Committee Chairman Tony Estanguet, and others jumped into the water one after another.
While they didn't grow tails or report any unusual health issues, no one anticipated the heavy rain during the opening ceremony and the following day, which returned the water to its previous condition and ultimately led to the cancellation of the training swim and the postponement of the competition itself.
In a statement, the organizers confirmed that the decision was made following a meeting at 3:30 AM and a water quality test involving Paris 2024, the World Triathlon Association, the International Olympic Committee, the French Weather Company, the city of Paris, and the Île-de-France region: "Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that the health of athletes is their priority. Tests conducted today in the Seine revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to take place."
Anyone who thought the future was bright should look at Wednesday's forecast, which also includes the risk of thunderstorms, potentially pushing the competition even further. The final deadline will be August 6 with the mixed relay event, hoping for miracles or having to figure out what to do next.
