Just hours before competition began, Olympic officials announced early Wednesday morning that a water quality test showed the Seine River be ready for triathletes.
A day after the men’s events were postponed, men’s and women’s triathletes competed back-to-back on Wednesday, with the swim taking place in the iconic body of water where swimming has been illegal for the past century due to water quality issues.
While the competition continued on Wednesday as usual, one Canadian triathlete was clearly not feeling well after the swim.
The decision to continue swimming the Seine for the triathlon events is a big win for the city, the Olympic organizers and the athletes. Officials implemented an ambitious planincluding 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements, to clean up the long-polluted Seine and have been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and marathon swim next week could safely be held in the river.
Organizers said early Wednesday the most recent tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards.
Elevated levels of bacteria in the river fueled the men’s race originally scheduled for Tuesday through Wednesday, when the women’s competition was scheduled. Test events intended to allow the athletes to familiarize themselves with the track had already been canceled for the same reason on Sunday and Monday.