Paris Games 2024: 'Priority is health..,' Triathlon swimming training session cancelled at Olympics | Read Why

Paris Olympic Games 2024 Triathlon swimming practice session was cancelled on Sunday (Jul 28) due to poor water quality of Seine river. Paris has been witnessing constant rain since opening ceremony of Olympic Games on Friday (Jul 26) which also led to river water getting polluted.

The race, due to start on Tuesday (Jul 30) for men and a day after for women, is still on schedule with the organisers hoping for water pollution levels to come down in next 48 hours.

“Following a meeting on water quality held this morning attended by Paris 2024, representatives of World Triathlon and their technical and medical delegates, Météo France, Drieat, the City of Paris and the prefecture of the Île-de-France region involved in carrying out water quality tests, a joint decision was taken to cancel the swim leg of the triathlon familiarisation which was due to be held on 28 July at 8am,” said the Paris games organisers and World Triathlon said in a statement.

“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterates that the priority is the health of the athletes,” the statement further added.

“The tests carried out in the Seine revealed water quality levels that in the view of the international federation, World Triathlon, did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held. This is due to rain that has fallen on Paris on 26 and 27 July.”

Swimming in the iconic French river has been banned for nearly a century now and the Olympic games organisers have invested around $1 billion to ensure a safe river for the athletes.

The river water pollution has been a cause of concern even before the Olympic Games. The tests done by Paris mayor's office a month ago before the games showed levels of the E.Coli bacteria -- an indicator of faecal matter -- were far above the upper limits.