This is an unfortunate setback for the organization of swimming events in the Seine. The pre-Olympic swimming test competition, which was to take place on Sunday in the Seine, has been canceled due to pollution of the river, World Aquatics, the international swimming federation, announced on Sunday after consulting the latest analysis results from water at night.
Pointing to a water quality “below acceptable standards”, World Aquatics also believes that “we must continue to work with Paris 2024 and the local authorities to ensure that solid emergency plans are in place for the next year” while the Olympic event is to take place in the Seine next summer.
Friday’s training had already been canceled and then the women’s race postponed from Saturday to Sunday in the hope that bacteriological analyzes would improve. The persistent and heavy rains for a week in Ile-de-France caused the sewers to overflow, which polluted the Seine.
The international federation is “disappointed that the quality of the water leads to the cancellation of this World Cup but the health of the athletes must always be our first priority”, declared Husain Al-Musallam the president of World Aquatics.
The federation “understands that infrastructure projects will be completed and will bring a significant improvement in water quality for the Olympics next year”, adds World Aquatics, which says it remains “enthusiastic” at the idea of seeing the swimmers participate in the race in the city center.
These competitions in the Seine are also preludes to future swimming promised for 2025 by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo (PS), on three sites while swimming has been prohibited there since 1923.