The Olympic men's triathlon was postponed just hours before it was due to get under way on Tuesday after last-ditch water quality tests in the River Seine revealed unhealthy pollution levels, organisers said.
In a move that left athletes angry and Olympic officials scrambling, organisers announced shortly before 5:00 am (0300 GMT) that the men's event would be delayed by 24 hours and take place immediately after the women's race on Wednesday.
A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the excessive pollution on the heavy rain that deluged the French capital on Friday and Saturday.
"Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes," the statement said after a meeting held at 3:30 am local time (0130 GMT).
Water quality concerns
"The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.
"Unfortunately, meteorological events beyond our control ... can alter water quality and compel us to reschedule the event for health reasons."
Benjamin Maze, the technical director of the French Triathlon Federation, told FranceInfo radio that there was "a bit of anger" among competitors.
"The athletes got up a bit before 4 a.m.; they were having breakfast when we received the information from the international federation," he said. "Obviously, there's a bit of anger and a lot of disappointment."
Billion-dollar investment
Adding to the concerns, a threat of storms on Tuesday evening also casts doubt on the viability of holding the men's and women's races on Wednesday.
Tuesday's delay is an embarrassment for French authorities, which have invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) over the last decade to clean up the Seine, including in major new water treatment and storage facilities in and around Paris.
Heavy downpours still overwhelm the city's underground drains and sewage system, leading to untreated effluent being released into the waterway.
Levels of the E. coli bacteria, an indicator of faecal matter, were sometimes 10 times higher than authorised limits.
New options
As a last resort, they have said they could cancel the swimming leg of the triathlon and turn the race into a duathlon, with only running and cycling.
The Seine is set to be used for the triathlon mixed relay on August 5 and then again for marathon swimming—a 10-kilometre swim in open water—on August 8–9.
Marathon swimming can be moved to another location in Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris.
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