The Olympic marathon swim test event and open-water swimming training sessions have been canceled due to high levels of bacteria like E. coli and Enterococci, indicating the presence of fecal matter in the historically polluted Seine River.
Despite a €1.4 billion investment to upgrade Paris's sewerage and water treatment systems, the Seine consistently fails water quality tests, leading to the cancellation of four previous triathlon events.
The triathlon mixed relay event held in the Seine River the day before the latest cancellation had acceptable levels of fecal bacteria according to World Triathlon data.
The women's marathon swim competition is set for Thursday, while the men's race is scheduled for Friday at Pont Alexandre III. Organizers are confident the marathon swimming events will proceed as planned based on positive weather forecasts and analysis, with decisions on water quality made in consultation with various organizations.
The events may be moved to Vaires-sur-Marne if the Seine remains unsuitable.
Sources: Newsweek, BBC, Al Jazeera, Nine, WDRB, SuperSport, Brobible, WebWire, Lithgow Mercury, Sports Al Dente, The Will News, The Bharat Express News, Swimming World Magazine, Express and Star, Express, NY Sun, 9News, The Intelligencer.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
