New Delhi: A training session for triathlete was cancelled after water of the river Seine failed pollution checks at Paris Plympics.
The water of the river will be used for triathlon and marathon swimming but a joint statement from Games organisers and World Triathlon said that they decided to cancel the “”swim leg of the triathlon familiarisation”.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that the priority is the health of the athletes. The analysis carried out yesterday in the Seine showed water quality levels that… do not present sufficient guarantees to allow the event to take place,” the statement said.
However, it added that training sessions of running and bike would be held as per plans.
The quality of the water of Seine largely depends on the amount of rain that falls in Paris with heavy downpours during the opening ceremony on Friday has led to untreated water getting into the river.
“We’re not particularly worried. We’re vigilant as we have been since the beginning,” chief organiser Tony Estanguet has said, as quoted by AFP.
“We know that for 24 to 48 hours after heavy rain that we might need to delay (events). The weather forecast shows that in theory the rain shouldn’t return,” he added.
Befroe the start of Paris 2024, the water levels at Seine has repeatedly failed to meet the desired standards, with levels being at times 10 times higher than permissible limits.
In case the water levels don’t come down to the permissable limits, Paris 2024 organisers could postpone the outdoor swimming events by several days in case rain.
If needed, they could also cancel traithlon’s swimming leg and move the swimming marathon to Vaires-sur-Marne, on the Marne river, situated towards east of Paris.
The triathlons are scheduled to be held on July 30-31 and August 5, after which open-water swimming ise set to be staged on August 8-9.
The water of the river will be used for triathlon and marathon swimming but a joint statement from Games organisers and World Triathlon said that they decided to cancel the “”swim leg of the triathlon familiarisation”. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
