Olympic Triathletes Swim in Seine River after Days of Concerns about Water Quality

AP

17:38 JST, August 1, 2024

PARIS (AP) — Olympic triathletes dove into the Seine River on Wednesday after organizers declared the water in Paris safe for swimming following days of concerns about elevated bacteria levels caused by heavy rains last week.

The women jumped into the river near the majestic Pont Alexandre III around 8 a.m., with steady rain tapering off just as the athletes splashed into the water. Some dunked their swim goggles in the Seine before putting them on and heading into the river with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The men followed just under three hours later.

The decision to go ahead with the swim for the triathlon competitions was a big deal for the city, Olympics organizers and the athletes. Officials undertook an ambitious plan, including 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements, to clean up the long-polluted Seine. They had been steadfast in their insistence that the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events could safely be held in the river.

After days of uncertainty following rain on Friday and Saturday, organizers said early Wednesday that the latest tests of the water showed compliance with quality standards. They couldn’t contain their delight that their gamble of holding Olympic events in the long-toxic river was paying off.

“It’s magic,” said chief Paris Games organizer Tony Estanguet, speaking to French television. “It’s a very important legacy for Parisians to be able to swim from next year in the Seine.”

The infrastructure projects undertaken to better manage wastewater have paved the way for Paris’ ultimate goal: allowing Parisians to enjoy the waterway again after more than a century of it being off-limits, with plans to open public pools in its waters starting in 2025.

“Here we are!” French President Emmanuel Macron proclaimed on X. “Thanks to a massive investment … we have achieved in just 4 years what was impossible for 100 years: the Seine is now swimmable.”

As they swam, the triathletes stayed close to the barges and boats that line the banks of the river. Spectators watched and cheered from the stands set up along the side and from the bridges spanning the waterway.

After swimming two laps in the Seine, a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) course, the athletes emerged from the water and ran up a set of stairs to jump on their bikes for a ride through the streets of Paris, including the iconic Champs-Elysees.

During the women’s race, the 40-kilometer (25-mile) biking portion saw numerous crashes and wipeouts along wet roads, but skies were blue when the triathletes began the final leg of the race, a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) run. By the time the men’s race started, the sun was beating down and temperatures were rising.

Cassandre Beaugrand of France won gold in the women’s event, while Julie Derron of Switzerland took silver and Beth Potter of Britain got the bronze medal. Alex Yee of Britain won gold in the men’s race, with Hayden Wilde of New Zealand winning silver and Léo Bergère of France taking bronze.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a much-publicized dip in the Seine two weeks ago along with Estanguet and others to ease fears about water quality, congratulated Beaugrand for winning the first Olympic gold in the river.

“How special to see her swimming in the Seine, thank you for making us so proud!” Hidalgo said.

For her part, Beaugrand said she wasn’t very worried about swimming in the Seine “because we swam last year and no one was sick after that, so I was confident we could swim today and it would have been a shame if we didn’t.”

Olympic triathletes participated in a test event in the river last August.

Yee, the men’s winner, said athletes just have to trust organizers when they say the conditions are safe.

“I’m sure we’ll find out in due time if that’s correct,” he said.

Elevated levels of bacteria in the river pushed the men’s race originally planned for Tuesday to Wednesday, when the women’s competition had been scheduled. Test events meant to allow the athletes to familiarize themselves with the course had already been canceled for the same reason on Sunday and Monday.

Paris experienced a downpour during Friday’s opening ceremony, and rain continued for most of the day Saturday, which directly affected the water quality in the Seine.

“The problem is always worse when there’s a heavy rainfall, because it kind of overwhelms the pipes and you also get all the runoff from the street. All that lands in the Seine,” explained Dr. Nicole Iovine, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Florida. “They’ve done a lot to try to improve the quality of the water. But the truth is you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature.”

Daily water quality tests measure levels of the fecal bacteria E. coli. World Triathlon’s water safety guidelines and a 2006 European Union directive give a range of E. coli levels from “excellent” to “sufficient.” Anything beyond 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters is not considered safe or “sufficient.” But experts stressed that these numbers are simply guidelines used to assess risk.

Every day since Sunday, even as organizers announced cancellations or postponements, they continued to express confidence that the swims in the Seine would go forward as planned the next day. For several days they did not publicly release the data on levels E. coli and other bacteria that contributed to their decisions.

Most strains of E. coli are harmless and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But others can be dangerous. Even a mouthful of contaminated water can lead to diarrhea, and the germ can cause illnesses such as infections in the urinary tract or in the intestines.

Organizers have said water samples are taken 21 and a half hours before decisions are made about the swim. Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps said samples from early Tuesday morning showed levels between 488 and 770. That was before rain fell in the hours leading up to the triathlon, and Descamps said Wednesday sample results would be published later in the day.

“We followed rigorously the process set by World Triathlon,” she said. “The results were quite positive to launch the competition.”

Testing in the river will continue with other events expected to include swims in the Seine in the coming days. The triathlon mixed relay event is set for Monday and the marathon swimming races are scheduled for Aug. 8-9.

Organizers have said the marathon swimming, could be relocated, if needed, to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in the greater Paris region, which already hosts rowing and canoeing competitions and can accommodate up to 15,000 spectators.