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Olympics officials make huge new announcement after initial postponement of men's triathlon

The men's triathlon was postponed on Tuesday due to the water quality in the River Seine, but will now go ahead.

ben talintyre · sam goodwin
·5-min read

The men's and women's triathlons will go ahead on Wednesday in Paris after Olympics organisers were forced to make the staggering call of pushing back the men's event on Tuesday. The quality of the water in the River Seine has been a huge concern for months, with officials pouring $1.5 billion into trying to get it right for the Paris Games.

But persistent rain in Paris over the last few days meant the river was too polluted for swimming on Tuesday, and the men's triathlon had to be postponed. World Triathlon said in a statement that the race has been moved to Wednesday at 10:45am (local time), immediately after the women's event at 8am.

The River Seine, pictured here in Paris before the swimming events at the Olympics.
Olympics organisers have been forced to postpone the men's triathlon. Image: Getty

Officials then announced on Wednesday morning that both events will go ahead. Organisers said early on Wednesday that latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards, allowing the swim legs to be held in the river.

The River Seine in Paris during the Olympics.
The water in the River Seine ahead of the triathlon. (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The 55 triathletes who were primed to compete on Tuesday were facing uncertainty, but have been given the green light to swim. "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 on Tuesday.

Two familiarisation practice sessions were planned for Sunday and Monday (local time), but they also had to be cancelled despite sunny conditions. Organisers were said to be considering changing the triathlon to a bike-run duathlon and moving the marathon swim to the rowing venue if the water quality didn't improve.

The persistent rain that marred Friday night's opening ceremony along the famed river caused further headaches for Games organisers. Constant rain throughout the start of the Games has further raised water pollution, a nagging issue for the triathlon and marathon swimming events.

But the Aussie team made it clear they were still willing to take the plunge. "We're expecting a triathlon. It's good to go at this stage," Matt Hauser said on Saturday morning. "The organisers are taking care of everything and we're confident Tuesday and Wednesday are going to go ahead as planned.

"Me being a strong swimmer, obviously I want a triathlon - even the strong runners and the weaker swimmers want a triathlon. It's going to be a true test of an Olympic champion. It's got to be a triathlon. All the signs are showing that it is going to be a triathlon, which is great."

Matt Hauser and Natalie Van Coevorden, alongside the Paris Mayor at the Olympics.
Matt Hauser and Natalie Van Coevorden (L) have declared they're still willing to swim in the River Seine at the Olympics, after the Paris Mayor took a dip (R). Image: Getty
Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo swims in the Seine River less than 10 days before the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 17, 2024. (Photo by Gao Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicised dip last week before the Olympics to dispel concerns about the water quality.

The mixed team relay, which also relies on the Seine, is set to take place on August 5. "We've actually swum in pretty bad water before. We've taken all the precautions, we've taken some vaccines and stuff like that," Hauser said. "If anything does arise, we're prepared for it. Whatever is thrown my way, I will be prepared for it. If it is a duathlon, whatever, we'll race it. It will be a big shame, but we really believe it's going to be a triathlon."

Teammate Natalie Van Coevorden has swum in the Seine before and is also keen for the format to remain as planned. "I swam here last year and it's fine ... we're very capable of getting on with any conditions," Van Coevorden said.

Jacob Birtwhistle, Natalie Van Coevorden, Matthew Hauser and Sophie Linn at the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Aussie triathlon competitors Jacob Birtwhistle, Natalie Van Coevorden, Matthew Hauser and Sophie Linn at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

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Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicised dip last week before the Olympics to dispel concerns about the water quality, but the latest test results have painted a vastly different picture. Daily water quality tests have been measuring levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris showed on June 17 that E. coli levels were above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres - determined by European rules. The site at the Bras Marie reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris Olympics chief Tony Estanguet.

A statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is set to host the triathlon and marathon swimming events. The statement noted "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," which helps explain fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for Parisians for more than 100 years. But since 2015, organisers have poured around $1.5 billion into preparing the river for the Olympics and trying to ensure locals have a cleaner river after the Games have concluded.

with AAP