Poor water quality in the Seine River in Paris led to the cancellation for the third time this Sunday of a sporting event that was supposed to be a test ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
The swimming competition, which is part of the mixed triathlon relay, has been cancelled, the organizers of the Paris Olympic Games and the International Triathlon Federation confirmed in a joint statement.
“In view of the continuing discrepancies in the results of the water quality analysis, a joint decision was made to replace the mixed relay with a duathlon,” the message says.
The same decision, a test that only includes cycling and running, was already made on Saturday for the paratriathlon test for athletes with physical disabilities.
Less than a year before the Olympics, this is the third test event to be affected by river water quality in two weeks, with open water swimming events canceled twice earlier this month.
In all three cases, the decision was made because of the presence of untreated waste in the Seine, which happens regularly when heavy rain hits the French capital.
The Seine has been chosen to host the swimming marathon at the next Summer Games and the swimming leg of the Olympic and Paralympic triathlon.
The French capital is spending heavily on water management projects that authorities say will reduce the frequency of storm surges.
“By 2024, new infrastructure will be built to further improve rainwater treatment to improve water quality,” Paris Olympics organizers and city officials said earlier this month.
These public works include a giant underground reservoir in Paris that will store excess water during storms so it doesn’t need to be dumped into the river without being cleaned up and can be cleaned up later.
The Paris authorities also said that the calendar of Olympic events on the river next year could be adjusted if water quality does not allow them to be held as originally scheduled.
Recent weather conditions have been “exceptional” as the Paris area has recorded its heaviest summer rains since 1965, according to the statement.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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