First the tests in June which certified the pollution, followed by the dive of the French Sports Minister to prove that the water had been cleaned. Then the Triathlon trials were always blocked due to the unusability of the water and the races were postponed several times.
Today another Triathlon is blocked, that of the 2024 Paralympics. The waters of the Seine are once again making headlines and raising the hornet’s nest of controversy between those who have always claimed that they are impossible to swim in and those who, instead, certify that the cleaning has worked.
Meanwhile, they have been postponed until tomorrow, Monday 2 September. “The latest tests on the Seine show a substantial decrease in the quality of the water in the river, after the rain episodes of the last two days. Therefore the water was considered unsuitable for swimming”, we read in a note, at the end of a meeting between representatives of World Triathlon, Paris2024 and the relevant French authorities involved in monitoring the conditions of the Seine and the weather.
All 11 events scheduled today have therefore been rescheduled for September 2nd. “Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes and under these conditions, Paratriathlon events cannot take place,” the statement reads.
Therefore, the Italians competing in the triathlon will also have to wait until tomorrow: Giovanni Achenza, Giuseppe Romele, Gianluca Valori, Veronica Yoko Pleban, Francesca Tarantello (guide Silvia Visaggi) and Anna Barbaro (guide Charlotte Bonin).
