Organizers allowed the Olympic triathlon competition for women and men to take place on Wednesday after the latest water tests in the Seine River showed lower levels of bacteria, ending uncertainty over whether the swim in the center of Paris could be held after heavy rains, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
"We are very happy to receive this news," Benjamin Mazet, technical director of the French Triathlon Federation, told Reuters. - "Now that we know we will be racing, we can mentally switch to full competition mode.
The races were given the green light on Wednesday despite the rain at night.
The organizers announced the decision based on the analysis of water samples from the river taken the day before at 5 a.m. and after discussions with weather experts, according to the Games organizers.
Showers started again around 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, making racing conditions difficult on the bike stage, which includes several tight turns and a quarter of the route on paved roads.
The triathlon, conceived as the centerpiece of the Paris Olympics, starts and finishes on the Pont Alexandre III and takes athletes past a section of the Champs Elysees and landmarks including the Musée d'Orsay.
"The results of the latest water tests, obtained at 3:20 a.m., have been assessed by the World Triathlon as meeting the requirements, which allows triathlon competitions to take place," the Olympic organizers and the International Triathlon Union said in a statement.
Addendum
The men's triathlon was scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed until Wednesday after the river failed a water quality test.
Олімпіада-2024: заплив триатлоністів перенесли через якість води в Сені30.07.24, 15:00