Olympic blow as men’s triathlon postponed

PARIS: Hazardous pollution levels in the River Seine forced the postponement of the men´s triathlon at the Olympics on Tuesday, as Simone Biles eyed her first gold of the Games and Paris sizzled in the heat.

In a massive blow to Olympic organisers who have repeatedly vowed that the Seine would be safe to swim in, Tuesday´s race was called off just hours before the start after last-minute water-quality tests.

A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the spike in pollution levels on the heavy rain that drenched Paris on Friday and Saturday. The men´s triathlon has been rescheduled to Wednesday, immediately after the women´s event.

Paris baked in temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95F) on Tuesday in a challenge to athletes at outdoor competitions, but a major storm was forecast for later in the day, raising serious doubts over whether Wednesday´s rescheduled events could go ahead.

Heavy downpours still overwhelm the city´s underground drains and sewage system, leading to untreated effluent being released into the waterway. If water quality does not improve in time, the swimming leg of the event would be removed and the race converted to a duathlon.

World Triathlon president Marisol Casado said she was hopeful the races could take place on Wednesday. “We are all disappointed because we are not able to follow strictly what was planned,” she told a press briefing.

Benjamin Maze, the technical director of the French Triathlon Federation, told FranceInfo radio there was “a bit of anger” among competitors who had risen early only to learn of the postponement.

“The athletes got up a bit before 4:00am, they were having breakfast when we received the information from the international federation,” he said. “Obviously there´s a bit of anger and a lot of disappointment.”