Current:Home > FinanceParis Olympics cancels triathlon training session because Seine too dirty -OceanicInvest
Paris Olympics cancels triathlon training session because Seine too dirty
View
Date:2025-04-14 06:04:48
Editor's note: Follow the latest Olympics live results, medal count and updates for Sunday, July 28.
PARIS − The first swimming training session for triathletes competing at the Paris Olympics was cancelled Sunday because of pollution in the river Seine.
Whether the Seine will be clean enough to host Olympic triathlon and open-water swimming events has been a much debated topic at the Games. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip in the Seine last week in a bid to ease fears. Organizers have spent more than $1.5 billion trying to overcome the river's high levels of E.coli bacteria.
The river was deemed clean enough for the swimming competitions following a series of tests in earlier this month but heavy rainfall in France's capital over the past 48 hours appears to have set that back.
In a joint statement Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said they were "confident that water quality will return to below limits before the start of the triathlon competitions," which get underway Tuesday.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
The bike and running training sessions will go ahead as planned Sunday.
In a briefing with reporters on Saturday, Scott Schnitzspahn, the U.S. Olympic triathlon team's "high performance" general manager, said he was getting updates on the Seine's water quality each day at 4 a.m. He said there is a Plan B if the river tests results don't improve. Plan B is delaying the triathlon by one day.
Plan C is the swim part of the event gets dropped altogether.
American triathlete Seth Rider revealed he has an unconventional tactic for preparing for the Seine's E. coli levels.
"We actually raced here last year in the test event," he said. "I don't think anyone got sick after that, which can't be said about all the races we do. In preparation for this race, I knew there was going to be some E.coli exposure. So I've been trying to increase my E.coli threshold by exposing myself to a bit of E.coli in day-to-day life."
One of the ways Rider claimed he's been doing that is not washing his hands after he goes to the bathroom.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Follow Kim Hjelmgaard on social media @khjelmgaard
veryGood! (84)
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Kehlani announces Crash concert tour: How to get tickets
- Matthew Macfadyen felt 'miscast' as Mr. Darcy in 'Pride & Prejudice': 'I'm not dishy enough'
- Litter of dead puppies found on Pennsylvania golf course prompts criminal investigation
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- A former candidate for governor is disbarred over possessing images of child sexual abuse
- Schools across Maine confront unique challenges in ridding their water of ‘forever chemicals’
- Hawaii contractors are still big contributors to political campaigns due to loopholes in state law
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Dead couple washes ashore in life raft, prompting Canada police investigation
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Def Leppard, Journey and Steve Miller romp through five hours of rock sing-alongs
- Litter of dead puppies found on Pennsylvania golf course prompts criminal investigation
- Vance's 'childless cat ladies' comment sparks uproar from Swift fans: 'Armageddon is coming'
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- 2nd suspect arrested in triple homicide case at a Phoenix-area apartment, police say
- Hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone National Park's Biscuit Basin damages part of boardwalk
- Families describe assaults and deaths behind bars during hearing on Alabama prison conditions
Recommendation
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
Falsehoods about Kamala Harris' citizenship status, racial identity resurface online as she becomes likely Democratic nominee
Phoenix man sentenced to life in prison without parole after killing his parents and younger brother
Authorities identify victims of fatal plane crash near the site of an air show in Wisconsin
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Patrick Mahomes Reveals Travis Kelce's Ringtone—and It's Not What You'd Expect
Matthew Macfadyen felt 'miscast' as Mr. Darcy in 'Pride & Prejudice': 'I'm not dishy enough'
Scott Disick Shares Rare Photo of His and Kourtney Kardashian’s 14-Year-Old Son Mason