Paris: The men’s triathlon at the Paris Olympics will not go ahead as planned on Tuesday as pollution levels in the Seine remain too high, World Triathlon said in a statement.
The race has been postponed to Wednesday at 10:45am (6:45pm AEST), immediately after the women’s event, which is scheduled for 8am (4pm AEST).
Ducks swim along the Seine River in front of the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Summer Olympics.Credit: AP
The decision is a blow to organisers who previously said they were confident water quality would improve in time for the race after heavy rains last Friday and Saturday dirtied the river.
The 55 triathletes who were primed to compete on Tuesday now face more uncertainty.
“Despite the improvement of water quality levels over the last hours, the readings at some points of the swim course are still above the acceptable limits,” organisers said.
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World Triathlon will meet with coaches at 8am on Tuesday to provide them with all the information and the updated schedule for the race, they said.
If levels of bacteria remain too high by Wednesday morning, both the men’s and women’s races are likely to be postponed to Friday, the contingency day reserved for the events.
For the mixed triathlon relay event on August 5, the contingency day is August 6.