At the start of the mixed relay event on Monday morning, Olympic triathletes took a dive into the Seine River after organizers declared that the bacteria levels in the historically-polluted Parisian waterway were within acceptable limits.
Despite being a challenging decision, the plan to include the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events in the Seine was executed. With the exception of a few instances, swimming in the river has been prohibited since 1923 due to its high toxicity levels.
On Sunday evening, representatives from World Triathlon, the International Olympic Committee, Paris Games organizers, and local authorities met to review the latest water tests. According to their statement, the results indicated that the water quality at the triathlon site had improved in the previous hours and would meet the standards set by World Triathlon by Monday morning.
This decision was made after one of Belgium’s athletes fell ill last week after swimming in the river, prompting the country’s Olympic committee to withdraw its team from the mixed relay triathlon. It is unclear if her illness was caused by the swim in the Seine.
Paris has invested 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in improving its infrastructure, including the construction of a large basin to collect excess rainwater and prevent wastewater from entering the river, as well as upgrading sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants. However, the heavy rain that has been falling intermittently during the Games has caused problems for organizers as it has led to an increase in fecal bacteria levels, including E. coli and enterococci, in the river.
Although there was heavy rain on Thursday night, the conditions have been mostly dry, with only light rain on Saturday evening. On Monday, the sun was shining bright and athletes were reassured by organizers that there were no concerns regarding the water quality.
Despite the warm temperatures and the sun’s UV rays, organizers remain confident that they will be able to eliminate enough germs before each event that includes a swim in the Seine. The men’s and women’s individual triathlons were held on Wednesday, although the men’s race was postponed by a day due to water quality concerns. The high levels of bacteria in the water have also led to the cancellation of swimming training sessions for the relay event.
Daily water quality tests are conducted to measure the levels of fecal bacteria, including E. coli. World Triathlon’s safety guidelines, as well as a 2006 European Union directive, assign qualitative values to different levels of E. coli. According to World Triathlon’s standards, E. coli levels up to 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters are considered “good” and allow for competitions to take place. The triathlon mixed relay involves teams of four, consisting of two men and two women, with each athlete swimming 300 meters, cycling 6.8 kilometers, and running 2 kilometers.
