Organizers of the Paris 2024 Olympics announced on Sunday that the practice swim session in the River Seine had been cancelled due to poor water quality. The decision was made after recent heavy rains caused the water quality to fall below the required standards.
Despite initial expectations of improvement in conditions by Sunday morning, the water quality remained insufficient to permit the practice swim scheduled for 07:00 BST. The rain, which occurred towards the end of last week, led to increased levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine.
As a result of the deteriorated conditions, the men’s triathlon event has been postponed by a day and is now set to take place on Wednesday. The heavy rainfall has impacted the water quality, though Paris is expected to experience a temperature of 25°C later on Sunday, which could help in reducing the bacterial levels in the river.
Olympic organizers are closely monitoring the situation and are working to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to maintain safety and hygiene standards for the upcoming events.
