Paris Olympics Proceeds With Triathlon Swimming Race After Postponing Due to E. Coli-Polluted Seine River

As a seasoned movie critic with a penchant for historical accuracy and an eye for authenticity, I must say that the ongoing saga of the Seine river and its impact on the Paris 2024 Olympics has been nothing short of a cinematic drama unfolding right before our eyes.


UPDATE: Initially delayed due to pollution in the Seine river on Tuesday, the triathlon swimming competition for the Olympics was held on Wednesday morning. Today, both women’s and men’s races will take place, concluding a prolonged ordeal involving daily tests of water samples for E. coli, a type of faecal bacteria.

“A meeting regarding water quality was held on the morning of July 31st, with Paris 2024, World Triathlon reps, their Technical and Medical Delegates, Météo France, City of Paris officials, and representatives from the Prefecture of the Île-de-France Region participating in water tests. The parties have now confirmed that both the women’s and men’s triathlons will proceed as scheduled on July 31st, with the women starting at 8am and the men at 10:45am, according to a statement issued by Paris 2024 organizers.”

“Based on the most recent water tests, which came in at 3:20 am, it has been determined that they meet the required standards by the World Triathlon. As a result, the triathlon competitions can proceed.”

Since the premiere of Xavier Gens’ popular shark film “Under Paris” on Netflix, the Seine River was initially intended to be clean for the Triathlon and Marathon events during the Games. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo had promised to make the river safe for swimming for both athletes and locals several months ago as part of a large-scale project costing over $1.5 billion. However, the project has faced ridicule, including a social media campaign #JeChieDansLaSeine that encouraged Parisians to contaminate the water earlier this month.

On July 17th, the mayor of Paris went for a swim in the River Seine, accompanied by Tony Estanguet, a French gold medal-winning slalom canoeist who heads the Olympics organizing committee, with the intention of boosting excitement and demonstrating the safety of the water. However, it was later discovered that the Seine was still severely polluted.

On the 26th of July, when the heavy downpours particularly impacted during the opening ceremony, the water levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine significantly rose. This increase had already led to the cancellation of two training days (on Sunday and Monday). As of now, the mixed team relay is scheduled for the 5th of August.

During the start of the ceremony, heavy rainfall necessitated Lady Gaga to record her performance ahead of time, prioritizing safety concerns. Maud le Pladec, the dance director for both the Olympics and Paralympics who had collaborated with Gaga extensively for months, revealed that her show was on the verge of cancellation due to the unfavorable weather circumstances.

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2024-07-31 11:47