LONDON: The triathlon events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games scheduled for Sunday have been postponed due to fresh concerns about the quality of water in the River Seine, reported German news agency (dpa).
Eleven events were due to start with a swim leg in the river on Sunday morning, but organisers said they had been delayed due to a decrease in water quality following rain in the previous two days.
The events have been rescheduled for Monday if continued testing shows an improvement in the water quality.
A statement from World Triathlon confirmed the postponement after a meeting with Paris 2024 representatives and French authorities at 3.30 am (0130 GMT) on Sunday.
“The latest tests show a decrease in water quality in the river following the rain episodes over the last two days,” the statement read, saying the events would go ahead on Monday if the water tests complied with “established World Triathlon thresholds”.
“Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes and with these conditions, the Para triathlon events cannot take place today.”
The triathlon events were originally scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday, but were combined into one day because of forecast rain.
The men’s triathlon during the Olympic Games last month, eventually won by Britain’s Alex Yee, was delayed by 24 hours due to concerns over water quality which also saw test swims cancelled.
– Bernama, dpa
