ORGANISERS of the Paris 2024 Olympics have hit a stumbling block due to the postponement of the men’s triathlon.
The huge event was due to take place on the River Seine on Tuesday, July 30 at 7am BST.
But because of pollution levels in the river, organisers have been forced to postpone the men’s triathlon for health reasons – with rain that fell over Paris on July 26 and July 27 a contributing factor.
The men’s triathlon has been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 31 – following the conclusion of the women’s event.
Should the water quality of the River Seine not improve, organisers still have Friday, August 2 as a contingency date for both the men’s and women’s races.
And if worst comes to worst and the event can’t take place on Friday, organisers could be forced to make the triathlon a duathlon as a last resort.
This would mean that the swimming leg of the triathlon would be removed – and the event would just feature cycling and running.
In a duathlon format, a 5km run would replace the 1.5km swim.
Public swimming in the River Seine has been banned for more than 100 years due to the pollution and the ill effects it could have on human health.
However, organisers spent at least €1.4 billion (£1.2bn) to clean the Seine and make it safe for athletes to swim in it this summer.
The Seine is not just set to disrupt the Olympic triathlon but marathon swimming as well.
If the river is not deemed safe enough for the athletes to take to the water, the event will be moved to the Vaires-sur-Marne – which is where the rowing and canoeing events take place.
The women’s marathon swimming is scheduled for Thursday, August 8 while the men’s event is set for Friday, August 9.
