The state of the Seine is worrying a few hours before the triathlon events. The second training session was cancelled this Monday morning.
It is one of the soap operas that the organization of the Paris Olympics could have done without, but the triathlon issue is coming back to haunt the first Olympic week. While the events have started on many Olympic sites, from the Palace of Versailles for horse riding to the marina of Marseille for sailing, via the waves of Tahiti for surfing or the Elancourt hill for mountain biking, one site in the heart of Paris is causing concern: the Seine!
THE Paris Olympic Games took the risk of wanting to organize the swimming event, one of the three components of the triathlon with cycling and running, in the heart of the capital in the Seine. But the state of the river and the quality of its waters have been worrying for many months. The latest analyses are not good. The first training session was canceled on Sunday, as was the second session scheduled for Monday.
The heavy rain that fell on Friday during the opening ceremony under the cameras of the entire world has consequences. The organizers, in consultation with the authorities, have taken the “decision to cancel the swimming portion of the triathlon familiarization,” said a statement from the organizing committee and the International Triathlon Federation published this Monday morning. They recognize “that the water quality levels […] do not provide sufficient guarantees.”
The Olympic triathlon is scheduled to start this Tuesday at 8am for the men’s event, with the triathlon scheduled to begin with the swimming portion. The women’s event is scheduled to start at the same time on Wednesday. Could it be cancelled? For now, the organisers say they are “confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the competitions”, and are relying on the data recorded and the weather forecast for the next few hours with sunshine expected in the capital.
If it is impossible to compete in the Seine, two solutions could be proposed. The first consists of a postponement of the event, difficult to envisage however given the tight schedule of the Olympic fortnight or the cancellation of the swimming part. The Olympic triathlon would then become a duathlon with only cycling and running. This format would completely reshuffle the cards of the competition and would not be to the advantage of French people known for their quality in swimming.
The French competitors intend to win the first individual Olympic medal in the history of French triathlon. 2022 world champion, Léo Bergère is one of the favorites like Dorian Coninx, 2023 world champion and Pierre Le Corre, regularly placed on international podiums. Same thing for the women for Cassandre Beaugrand, author of a great 2024 season and the young Emma Lombardi, world number 1 after the start of the season.