A triathlon training session has been canceled for the second day in a row due to pollution levels in the Seine River.
France spent $1.5 billion treating the river in preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games. Swimming in the river has been banned for more than 100 years. Despite the canceled practices, organizers are still saying the marathon and triathlon medal events will be held in the river later this week.
Paris was hit by heavy rain during the opening ceremony on July 26. On July 28, triathlon swimming practice was canceled due to “harmful levels of E.coli bacteria caused by sewage,” per The Times.
If the river’s contamination levels remain unsafe (greater than 1000 CFU/100mL), the triathlon could be turned into a duathlon with the swimming leg of the race removed. Marathon swimming would be relocated.
“Official testing by the city of Paris shows E. Coli levels at Alexandre III Bridge… have been above acceptable levels on the majority of days – 22 out of 30 – between June 3 and July 2, potentially exposing athletes to serious health risks,” reports CNN Sports.
French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told a local media outlet that officials are “absolutely serene about all of this” and that weather is beyond their control.
“I am confident in the fact that we will be able to be there tomorrow for the men’s triathlon event,” Oudéa-Castéra said, per AP News.
Other concerns have plagued this year’s Olympics.
A coordinated series of arson attacks on Paris’s high-speed rail network on July 26 disrupted travel ahead of the opening ceremony and impacted travel for the entire weekend. The attacks affected an estimated 800,000 passengers.
“Authorities are not yet saying who they think was responsible,” reported BBC. “Security has been intense because Paris is facing a series of threats from different quarters – in some cases against athletes from particular countries, sometimes against the games as a whole.”
Concerns about a possible act of terrorism are the “predominant security focus” at this year’s games according to the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism.
The organization wrote in June:In late April, a 16-year-old was arrested after he announced on social media that he wanted to die a martyr at the Olympics. On 22 May, an 18-year-old was detained in Saint-Étienne for allegedly plotting an Islamist-inspired attack at a football stadium that will be used during the Olympics.
Considering the dynamic threat environment, it is important not only to focus on Islamic State and official Olympic venues. One possibility is that Islamic State, or supporters inspired or remotely guided by the group, could attack a softer target in France or elsewhere in Europe during the Olympics, seeing an opportunity to generate publicity from the timing rather than the location.
