Olympic Triathletes Dive into Seine: Water Quality Declared Safe Amid Concerns

Olympic triathletes participated in the mixed relay event in the Seine River after organizers confirmed acceptable bacteria levels. Extensive infrastructure improvements were made to clean the historic Paris waterway, despite concerns following recent heavy rains. The event proceeded with daily water quality testing to ensure safety.

Olympic triathletes plunged into the Seine River on Monday morning for the mixed relay event, following assurances from organizers that bacteria levels in the long-polluted Paris waterway were within acceptable limits.

The ambitious plan to hold triathlon and marathon swimming portions in the Seine faced challenges, as swimming in the river had been largely prohibited since 1923 due to toxicity. However, recent infrastructure improvements aimed to reverse this.

On Sunday night, representatives from World Triathlon, the International Olympic Committee, Paris Games organizers, and regional and weather authorities reviewed water tests, which showed that the water quality had improved to permissible levels.

The decision to go ahead with the event came after Belgium's Olympic committee withdrew its team from the mixed relay triathlon following an athlete's illness after swimming in the Seine. It was unclear if her illness was related to the river swim.

Paris invested 1.4 billion euros in infrastructure to clean the Seine, including building a giant basin to capture excess rainwater, renovating sewer systems, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

Heavy rains during the Games elevated fecal bacteria levels, causing headaches for organizers. Despite episodes of heavy rain, athletes were reassured about water safety, aided by warm temperatures and UV rays that kill bacteria.

Athletes swam in the river for individual triathlons earlier, though the men's race was delayed due to water quality concerns. Elevated bacteria levels also forced training session cancellations.

Daily tests measure fecal bacteria like E. coli, with World Triathlon guidelines allowing competitions if levels are up to 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.

The mixed relay involves four-person teams, each swimming 300 meters, cycling 6.8 kilometers, and running 2 kilometers.

(With inputs from agencies.)