As Paris geared up to host the 2024 Olympics, the city has been preparing to showcase its historic Seine River as a central venue for several events. The Seine River’s poor water quality after a lot of rain has forced the Paris Olympics organisers to postpone the swim practice for the mixed triathlon relay. Three years ago in Tokyo, the mixed relay event was created. It consists of four participants competing as a team in a sprint triathlon.
Seine In Olympic Plans
Unpleasant footage from the Paris Olympics has gone viral online: a 🇨🇦Canadian triathlete vomited live after a swim in the Seine River 🤷♂️🙈🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/ksqkMdCR4u
— Roberto (@UniqueMongolia) August 1, 2024
The inclusion of the Seine as a venue for Olympic events is symbolic and strategic. Paris aimed to use the river as a backdrop to highlight its beauty. The decision to host the triathlon swim in the Seine was part of a broader initiative to present Paris as a city that embraces its natural environment.
Despite delays, individual events took place earlier in the week. After a one-day delay, the men’s race finally took place on Wednesday following the women’s competition. The Paris Olympics made headlines when a Canadian triathlete went viral after vomiting live on camera following a swim in the Seine River. The incident occurred during the triathlon event, where athletes braved the river’s waters despite ongoing concerns about its quality. The triathlete’s visible discomfort and subsequent vomiting sparked widespread attention and debate online, raising questions about the safety of using the Seine.
However, swim training sessions have been postponed twice previously because of safety concerns. The familiarisation session was supposed to take place on Saturday at 8 AM local time, but it was cancelled due to heavy rains recently, in advance of the event on Monday.
The city promised to make the river swimmable for the first time since 1923, and this endeavour was a major factor in its successful bid to host the 2024 Games. In southeast Paris, the city built a massive subterranean rainwater storage tank. This tank is intended to keep the sewage system from overflowing during periods of high rainfall. It can contain enough water to fill twenty Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Also Read: Seine’s Contamination Raises Concerns For Paris Olympic Athletes; Events Postponed
The Problem Of Water Quality
An Olympic competitor jumps into the River Seine in Paris
Notice the colour of the water when the competitor jumps, the reason for this colour is that sewage is drained into the river☹️ #Olimpiadas2024 pic.twitter.com/2tWaZQHQSb
— FA (@FallenArrows1) July 28, 2024
Despite these aspirations, the Seine River has struggled with water quality issues for years. Recent tests indicated elevated levels of harmful bacteria, including E. coli, which posed a significant health risk to athletes. The outdated sewage system in Paris, which mixes wastewater and rainwater, is the cause of this problem. The system overflows during periods of high rainfall, discharging raw sewage into the river. In light of the existence of dangerous bacteria like E. Coli, this condition creates major health issues.
The issue still exists despite their attempts. The Seine is being contaminated as a result of the heavy rains that are overwhelming the sewage infrastructure. The organisers have been compelled to think of other preparations due to this issue. The swimming triathlon competitions, which were originally slated for July 30 and 31, as well as August 5, have been affected.
Cover image credits: X/Roberto