There had been concerns that bacteria levels were too high in the water, leading to previous postponements.
ADVERTISEMENTAfter days of delays and uncertainty over water quality in the Seine River, the women's and men's Olympic triathlon races will go forward on Wednesday, including the swimming portion in the famed Paris waterway.
The decision to go ahead with the Seine swim for the triathlon competitions is a big win for the city, Olympics organisers and the athletes.
Officials undertook an ambitious plan, including €1.4 billion in infrastructure improvements, to clean up the long-polluted Seine and have been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events next week could safely be held in the river.
The organisers said early on Wednesday the latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards.
It comes after elevated levels of bacteria in the river pushed the men’s race originally planned for Tuesday to Wednesday when the women’s competition had been scheduled.
Test events meant to allow the athletes to familiarise themselves with the course had already been cancelled for the same reason on Sunday and Monday.
The water quality in the Seine is directly affected by rainfall which can lead to wastewater runoff flowing into the river. Heavy rains fell during Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony and rain continued for most of the day Saturday.
Every day since Sunday, even as organisers announced cancellations or postponements, they continued to express confidence that the swims in the Seine would go forward as planned the next day.
For several days, though, they did not publicly release the data on levels of E. coli and other bacteria that contributed to their decisions.
High levels of E. coli in water can indicate contamination from sewage. Most strains are harmless and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals - but others can be dangerous.
Even a mouthful of contaminated water can lead to diarrhoea and the germ can cause illnesses such as infections in the urinary tract or the intestines.
Daily water quality tests measure levels of the faecal bacteria E. coli. World Triathlon’s water safety guidelines and a 2006 European Union directive give a range of E. coli levels from “excellent” to “sufficient.”
Anything beyond 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres is not considered safe or “sufficient” - but experts stressed that these numbers are simply guidelines used to assess risk.
On Tuesday, Aurélie Merle, the Paris 2024 director of sports, told reporters that water samples are taken 21 and a half hours before decisions are made about the swim. That leaves uncertainty about their accuracy on the day of the race.
Merle said on Tuesday that testing results showed “we’re very close to the threshold of triathlon.” She added that one of four test sites along the triathlon course was below the threshold for E. coli. Two other sites were just above the limit and one was more elevated, she said, citing a range of 980 to 1,553.
ADVERTISEMENT“We know the sun and the heat have a very strong impact on the quality of the water,” she said, hoping that a heat wave that hit most of France on Tuesday would help improve water quality enough for the swims to go ahead.
Organisers have said the marathon swimming races, scheduled for 8 and 9 August, could be relocated, if needed, to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in the greater Paris region, which already hosts rowing and canoeing competitions.
Efforts to make the river suitable for swimming included the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo very publicly took a swim in the river two weeks ago, along with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet, as well as Marc Guillaume, the top government official for the Paris region and swimmers from local swimming clubs.
ADVERTISEMENTData released last week show that E. coli levels at the Bras Marie were at 985 units per 100 millilitres that day, slightly above the established threshold.