Organizers have confirmed that the Olympic women’s and men’s triathlons will proceed on Wednesday following improved water quality in the Seine River. Recent tests revealed reduced bacteria levels, resolving concerns about the safety of the swim segment after heavy rains raised doubts.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the men's triathlon was postponed due to unsatisfactory water quality. However, the latest analysis, received at 3:20 a.m., showed that the water met World Triathlon's standards, allowing both triathlons to take place.
Benjamin Maze, technical director for France’s triathlon federation, expressed relief, stating, “It is with great joy that we received this news. Now that we know we will race, we can mentally switch fully into competition mode.”
The women’s triathlon will commence at 8 a.m. GMT, featuring 55 athletes from 34 countries, including top contenders like France’s Cassandre Beaugrand and Britain’s Beth Potter. The men’s event will follow at 10:45 a.m.
Paris 2024 and World Triathlon released a statement confirming that the water analyses were compliant with competition standards. This news comes as a boost for Paris authorities, who have invested $1.52 billion in wastewater infrastructure to improve river water quality and showcase a swimmable Seine as a legacy of the Games.
The last-minute postponement of the men’s race on Tuesday had sparked frustration among athletes. Belgian triathlete Marten Van Riel criticized the delay, questioning the prioritization of athlete health and accusing organizers of treating competitors like "puppets."
Despite overnight rain and forecasts of possible showers during the men’s race, the triathlons will proceed as planned. Organizers based their decision on river samples taken at 5 a.m. the previous day, along with expert assessments of weather conditions, according to Paris 2024.
