Olympic Athlete Offers Apology Following Arrest for Attempted Cocaine Purchase
Despite $1.53 billion being allocated for the cleanup of the chronically polluted Seine, there were concerns leading up to the Paris Games about the safety of holding the swimming leg of the triathlons and the 10,000-meter marathons in the river.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a swim on July 17 and deemed France’s iconic water body safe for the events—but issues arose once the Olympics started.
Triathletes’ swim practice on July 29 was canceled due to poor water quality from weekend rain run-off (which coincidentally began during the July 26 Opening Ceremony).
The men’s triathlon was postponed and rescheduled for July 31 after high bacteria levels deemed the water unsafe for swimming.
Both triathlons took place on July 31, with tests confirming low levels of E. coli and intestinal enterococci, meeting the European Union’s Bathing Water Directive for “excellent quality.”
Concerns about water safety resurfaced when two triathlon athletes withdrew from the mixed-relay event citing illnesses not definitively linked to the Seine swim.
The 10,000 meters events for women and men are still scheduled for August 8 and 9, but practices were canceled on August 6 due to elevated bacteria levels once again.